Star Wars: The Sith, Zero
by Advena Phillips
Summary: Louise's last chance to show everyone that she is a mage, a true noble: The Springtime Familiar summoning. But when things go awry, the pinkette finds herself enslaved by an Empire she knows nothing about in a galaxy far, far way. Will Louise stay the noble she thinks she is, or will she become something else...
1. (I) Prologue: New Worlds

**A few years ago, in a galaxy far, far away...**

Off in the slate fields, a small avianesque shuttle landed—sleek, angular and utilitarian in design. It hissed, pressurised air escaping from the side of the ship as a ramp extended outwards, touching down on the slate ground. Just above where the ramp connected to the ship, another hiss and the side of the ship above split in two.

Three figures disembarked the ship, marching down the ramp and onto the dark grey slate, their heavy boots grinding, crushing loose stones against the ground.

The leader of the trio was Oren Bosket. A study man of average height, he was dressed in the usual uniform of the Imperial Officer with his grey tunic, trousers and calf high boots. Upon his breast was his rank insignia plaque, showcasing three red and three blue squares representing his rank of Commander. Beside him where his men, dressed in roughed up Imperial armour with its trademark grey angular designs and bucket-like helms.

They continued marching until they arrived at their goal: The anomaly.

An unconscious girl, looking little younger than a teenager with bright pink hair that was strewn around her messily. The girl was thin and short, no taller than four-foot-ten and dressed in a primitive linen white shirt and a grey pleated skirt. Despite its dirty and damaged appearance, it was obvious to the three that it was well made. Beside her was a decorative stick, no longer than her forearm and only as wide as a finger.

The three shrugged the stick off as unimportant, more interested in the unconscious girl with the unnatural hair colour.

"Curious," Commander Bosket said, rubbing his stubble with his hand, "Are you sure there were no ships detected in the system? The sector?"

"None, sir!" piped up one of the helmeted men. "We just got some strange readings. Radiation or something."

"Take her with us, we'll figure who she is and decide then." The two soldiers complied, walking over to pick up the girl as their Commander marched back to the ship.

When the two others returned with the strange girl, he knocked on the door leading to the cockpit twice, signifying for the pilot to head back to base. As the ship flew, his mind was heavy with thoughts on what should be done with their mysterious person. He would have to inform the Empire of their find, which was going to bring a mountain of paperwork down on his head. Not only that, but it might get the Sith interested and that was something he did not want nor need.

Too soon, they arrived back at base where the girl was taken to the medbay to have some tests run on her as well as to discover her identity while the Commander prepared for the headache she was to bring.

Not an hour later, the headache arrived, but it was for a completely different reason. "What do you mean she doesn't exist?" he asked his intelligence officer.

"I mean, that I checked all the databanks we have at our disposal, including the public databases that Republic aligned worlds have. Not only that, but we tested her blood and… well, she has the lowest recorded count of midi-chlorians I've ever seen, but also a terrible immune system. I'm not even sure how she's alive and I doubt she would survive for much longer, especially if someone just so happened to cough in her general direction."

Commander Bosket considered what had been said for a few moments, "What's your opinion on this girl?"

"I think she might have been from a pre-hyperspace society. Possibly pre-industry considering the information we've gathered after scanning her clothes."

"So, for all intents and purposes, she's an unknown."

"Have you contacted the Empire about this?"

"No. I don't think we should," The Commander mumbled, once again scratching his stubble. _Bringing the Empire into this could lead to Sith investigation, and that's the last thing I need._ He turned his eyes to the morgue, where he knew a few slaves were to be cremated after an accident. _We've lost man power and we need more personnel working the mines… but it could end with a blemish on my name, not reporting it._

As he considered this, the Imperial officer beside him could not help but ask, "Then, what do you want us to do with her, Commander?"

Finally coming to a decision, he said, "Give her an immune booster, then throw her in the slave pits."

 **STAR WARS  
THE SITH ZERO**

 **PROLOGUE**

 **Louise de La Vallière is the infamous second-year student of the Tristain Academy of Magic. Known among her peers as Louise the Zero, every spell she tries to cast ends in an explosion.**

 **Her last chance is the SPRING TIME FAMILIAR SUMMONING, a ritual performed by second-year students where they summon and bind an animal as their life companion. Should she fail, she will be expelled from the Academy where her mother will decide her fate.**

 **As the fateful day draws near and anxiety fills the hearts of every second-year student, something begins to stir in the Void….**

* * *

 **Chapter I: New Worlds**

* * *

It was a pleasant day, with winter having ended only a short while ago. The sun was shining and the morning dew on the lush grass made the plains around the Tristain Academy of Magic sparkle. However, the students of the Academy would find their peaceful morning interrupted by one of their own.

An explosion shook the foundations of the Academy. Dust, soot and smoke blasted from one of the lower windows of the Earth Tower, and the startled yells of all those around echoed into the quiet morning.

Inside, a class had been taking place. It was a second-year class and one of the first lessons the students were taking for the term, and the first they had with a new teacher. Professor Chevreuse the Red Earth was a plump woman who preferred to dress in an expensive black robe underneath a purple cloak with a wide brimmed pointed hat. She, as her runic name implied, taught Earth Magic. This lesson in particular was about transmutation, an important facet of Earth Magic, however, it had all gone downhill when she summoned a particular student to perform the spell.

Despite the protests of the class, she had thought she had made the correct choice as the student had been taking down notes vigorously throughout the entire lesson… aside from when the other students had started making fun of her. That aside, Chevreuse knew that the girl had potential.

Unfortunately, she should have listened to the students' outcry about her choice: Louise de La Vallière.

Standing at four-foot-nine with a petite build, Louise walked proudly to the front desk amidst the warnings and jeers of the other students. Bright pink and thick hair flowed down from her head to hips in slight waves and her pink eyes sparkled with determination. She was dressed in the usual uniforms of the Academy, a white button-up blouse with a grey pleated skirt and a gold medallion with a pentagram etched in the centre fastened around her neck. On top of that was a black cloak signifying her status as a second year.

When Louise came up to cast, she did everything right, from the pronunciations to the wand-movements and finally, envisioning the metal she wished: bronze. Yet, as every other time she cast a spell, it ended in an explosion.

The professor had been thrown against the blackboard, knocked her unconscious. The desk the demonstration took place was all but annihilated, whereas the closer auditorium desks had been flung back, colliding with the makeshift barricades the students hastily created from their own desks. Windows had been blown out and dust had been kicked up into the air. Yet despite the chaos, Louise stood unaffected by the explosion, despite being only second to Chevreuse in terms of proximity to the blast.

Surveying the damage, Louise could not help but sigh. _Another failure…_

And it would seem the rest of the class agreed if the glares directed at her meant anything. "What's the matter with you!?" the usually sultry, now incensed voice of Kirche von Zerbst shouted from the safety of her desk wall.

Louise scowled, turning towards the voluptuous tanned girl with a thick head crimson hair. "I just screwed up a little bit," she replied, trying to keep her voice calm in the face of adversity.

"What part of this is 'little'?" whined another student, the portly blond named Malicorne de Grandprè.

Louise bristled at the insult but kept an impassive mask in the face of failure, even when the room began to descend into more decries. She knew and should have expected this to happen. _But I just had to go up and try_. She thought bitterly. With her head held high, she marched out the room, planning to go to the Headmaster's Office before being collected, again. On her way out, she found Tabitha, a smaller girl with blue hair, however, based on what Louise had seen, her height was inverse of her magical potential. She supposed the girl had left pre-emptively to avoid any injuries.

The blue-haired girl looked up from her book, asking in a monotone, "Teacher?"

Louise let out a long-suffering sigh, "Unconscious."

Tabitha nodded silently, walking back into the classroom, probably, hopefully, to take the professor to the healers.

Crossing her arms, Louise began walking down the hall of the tower, passing a few classrooms and down a flight of stairs, each step causing her mood to drop. Had she been a _proper_ mage, she would have been able to simply levitate herself down the steps, yet any time she tried the spell, it would explode, and she certainly did not wish to try it on herself.

Once she exited the tower, she made her way across the long path leading to the main tower. She watched a few third years out on tables outside, enjoying the sun or preparing for the lessons to come. Some noticed her, and she could hear them snigger, speaking to their friends which in turn brought more eyes upon her.

Louise ignored them, of course, and continued walking along the paths until she arrived at the main tower. Skirting along the side, she eventually arrived at the entryway. After that, it was only a quick walk through some rooms, halls, and up a few flights of stairs before she found herself standing before the Headmaster's Office. The room outside the office was bare, with only a simple waiting bench and potted plant nearby for decoration.

Moving to knock, Louise quickly retracted her hand when the door swung open on its own, revealing the two denizens of the office; Miss Longueville and Headmaster Osmond.

The green haired Miss Longueville, the Headmaster's secretary, was dressed in her usual blue robes with white highlights and a wine-red cloak. She was sitting down at her desk, looking the least bit annoyed, but by what, Louise did not know; though the scornful looks she sent the Headmaster, and the fact that the Headmaster's pipe was on her desk could have been a clue.

The Headmaster was a wizened man with a long silver beard and hair. He was dressed in a plain, yet fine robe of dark grey and had a quite few rings on his fingers. He looked exasperated.

"Miss Vallière," he said with a sigh, templing his fingers as he looked at her with his pricing brown eyes.

With a hung head, Louise walked into the office, taking a seat on one of the chairs in front of his desk and prepared herself for another chastisement.

…

Approximately half an hour later, Louise was finally freed from the Headmaster's office. Her mood had plummeted throughout the lecture she was given. Not for the first time since arriving in this school, had she been told to be careful with her magic, reminded of her place as a mage and a noble, the religious significance of her status, and the strain of her schooling on her family, both financially and reputation wise. Fortunately, her punishment had been near non-existent after she informed the headmaster of what happened, but there was warning in his voice. Her punishment would be dealt tomorrow, and the extent of which would be dependent on whether or not she failed the Springtime Familiar Summoning.

Failure would mean expulsion. Success would mean that the school would have something to work with.

Calming herself with a deep breath, Louise headed down the staircase from the office, ready to absorb herself in her books once again. However, unlike when she ascended the stairs sometime prior, she ran into an obstacle, or rather, three obstacles.

Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt-Zerbst. Montmorency Margarita La Fère de Montmorency and… Tabitha. While she had no qualms with the petite bespectacled blunette—as she was a quiet bookworm who had only muttered a handful of words to Louise since the start of this year—the other two she found herself loathing. To be honest, Louise would have liked to been friends with Tabitha, had she kept better company, but fortune had never favoured Louise. At the moment, the girl was simply doing as she did best; silently reading a book while her only friend and her only friend's friend, looked on imperiously at Louise.

Kirche the Ardent, to put it in the nicest way Louise could, was a tart. She seemed to love dressing in her one-size-too-small uniform with the top two buttons of the blouse undone to show off her, admittedly large, assets, strutting around with her thigh-high leather boots and golden choker, all to increase her appeal. Some would have called Louise petty had that been the only reason for her disdain for the redhead, so she was pleased that she had more than enough reason to loathe the woman; the main two contenders were the incessant bullying—which included the creation of her most hated epithet—and the way she showed off how _superior_ she was in every way to the petite pinkette.

Then there was Montmorency the Fragrancewho may seem like a vapid blonde who was too blind to see her lover's unfaithfulness but was actually quite handy with a cauldron. Her hair was styled in tight ringlets with a red bow tied immaculately atop her head, and, unlike Kirche, she wore her uniform in a conservative fashion—as any proper Tritainian noble should. While not as incessant and aggravating as the redhead, she still seemed to despise Louise for whatever reason.

"So, what's the story? Another trip to the detention room, or are they finally expelling you?" asked Kirche, trying to appear serious, but it was obvious that the girl was amused. It seemed Montmorency also found the downcast look of Louise funny as she too had to hide a snicker with a small cough. Tabitha turned a page.

Louise kept her eyes straight, not focusing on any of the three, as she walked past the group. "They decided not to punish me."

"What!?" exclaimed the two girls, their shock by the leniency of the school's officials obvious to the naked eye. "Why not?"

"They said," Louise began with a sigh, holding back the urge to sneer at the two as annoyance permeated her voice, "that it was partially the teacher's fault for asking me to demonstrate, after being warned by everyone in the class." Her answer, filled with bitter resentment, seemed to humour the blonde and redheaded girls as they both began to laugh. "I'm just having a bad day," stressed Louise.

"Yeah? Well, you're always having a bad day. You can't even get a real runic name, Louise the Zero!" Kirche teased.

Louise span around, sneering at the two, "Why don't you just be quiet!" she spat.

Despite Louise's outburst, Kirche ignored her. "Tomorrow will be fun. I can't wait to see what kind of familiar you manage to summon." The bait was obvious, but Louise could not help but bite.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm confident in one spell: Summon Servant!" Louise shouted, glaring at the two who recoiled slightly at the vehement proclamation, "Just you watch. I'll conjure up a familiar that is divine, and beautiful, and powerful—and it will be better than anything you could cook up. Then we'll see who's laughing!" Spinning on her heel, she began stomping down the staircase, wanting to get as far away from the two as fast as possible.

Her goal was in mind: The library. In an act of kindness on the Headmaster's part, she had been given the day off to mentally prepare for the Summoning tomorrow and she wished to waste no time in silly things like relaxing, not when something as serious as this was before her.

…

The sun soon fell beyond the horizon; the twin moons soon taking up prominence in the night sky. Most, if not all students had gone back to their bedrooms—or in some cases, the bedrooms of others. Louise, at this moment, was being shooed out of the library and the librarian's insistence; something she felt mild annoyance at.

"Miss Vallière. You have been at this school for little over a year, read through almost all of the books you have been permitted to read more times than any other student, and yet found nothing," the librarian, the attractive Albionese Madam Black, said as she shooed Louise, "Go to bed. Tomorrow is the Springtime Familiar Summoning. _If_ you are a mage, we'll find out tomorrow."

Louise frowned, holding her tongue as she remembered the last time she had pleaded to stay in the library after hours. With a mumbled apology, Louise left the library—after, of course, putting each of the books away. Once done, she left the large library quickly, heading towards her bedroom, her safe haven, as quickly as possible.

As she hoped, the walk was quick, and she soon traversed through the school to her dorm.

Entering, she found it a lot cleaner than it had been when she awoke. Obviously, the servants had tended to her room in her absence; books mostly about magical theory that were strewn about the previous night due to excessive studying were now stacked neatly near her desk; the dirty clothing she wore the day before had been taken from her room and probably washed; her stationary she had been using to write a letter to her mother and sister had been placed packed away with what looked like a fresh inkwell ready for use; and finally, her bed had been made with her pillows puffed and new blankets to replace the dirty ones.

Walking to her large set of drawers, she began to discard articles of clothing from her cape to her shirt and skirt, letting them all fall to the floor in a small pile. She then opened her draws and pulled from it, one of her pink lacy nightgowns, pulling it over her head and over her diminutive frame. Briefly, her eyes flickered to her books but quickly pulled away. Normally, she would have begun to read through her books again, but tonight, she could not pull herself to do so; Madam Black's comment was still ringing in her mind. _If… If I am a mage…_

One of her favourite parts of living in the Academy was the personal quarters. As Louise soon learned, the personal quarters were a place where one could act however they pleased without the tiring politics or rumours flying around, that is if they are alone; something that was always the case for the youngest Vallière.

She remembered breaking down crying during her first year when her colleagues had been especially cruel. It was the day that she had also been given the "runic name" of 'Zero,' a name that had spread like wildfire all over the Academy to even her eldest sister, Éléonore. In some cases, a small few even thought it was her actual runic name, and her classmates were always there to fuel that assumption. Of course, she never told anyone about this, not even Cattleya, the middle child of the Vallière family—she did not need to place any more stress on her sickly sibling.

Even now, Louise felt like crying, yet, she did not allow herself to do so. Tomorrow was the final chance she would have to prove she would have magic, and if she failed, she would be expelled where her father would be the one to decide her fate; married off to her fiancé, Jean-Jacques Francis, or disowned and forced to become nothing more than a commoner.

She knew that the latter would be unlikely, but the thought that it could be a possibility still haunted her.

With nothing better to do, Louise crawled into her cool queen-sized canopied bed, and tried to drift off to sleep, but found the land of dreams a hard place to reach; her mind always going back to thoughts on the Familiar Summoning. After a few hours of restlessness and fidgeting, however, she fell into a deep, nightmare-filled, slumber.

Visions of massive metal monstrosities floating in the void above, firing massive bolts of red, blue or even green fire at each other. Similar constructs annihilating massive cities of steel, charring the ground below. Men wearing bulky armour of red and white fighting against others donned in colours of grey, black and red, each unleashing similar blasts of fire from musket like contraptions as men fell to the ground, dead.

Then, a large stone temple in the centre of the cityscape, burning to the ground as warriors with blades of emerald and aqua danced Hel's dance against those wielding blades of crimson; they used wandless magic, flinging foes, and leaping inhumanly high as their blades swung around in near choreographed moves, or even just unleashing hell in lightning form from their fingers.

Then, she saw herself, who was also not, sitting upon a throne-like chair. The girl wore an expensive robe of black, purple, gold and red, looking similar to the gown the Priestesses of Brimir would wear, but altogether different. The lookalike had similar hair, if only a shade or two lighters, but instead of it flowing freely as it had always, it was in a high-top ponytail with two bound tresses of hair that fell from behind her ears and onto her chest.

She looked slightly older and more developed than Louise was, but her skin was pale with dark rings around her eyes, contrasting what should have been bright pink eyes. Instead, they were the colour of sulphur with rims of red. Eyes that bore into her soul, bringing her worst fears to the forefront of her mind, combined with the most horrible sadistic grin promising pain and untold terror for those who dare cross her.

Then she woke, with nary a memory of her dream aside from a vague feeling of dread.

"Today is the Springtime Familiar Summoning!" Professor Colbert exclaimed to his students. "This is the first exam of your second year, as well as the sacred day where you will meet your familiar spirit; a creature who you will spend the rest of your life with as a part of your Noble family…"

While the Professor continued to lecture the students about the summoning, Kirche made her way over to Louise with Tabitha hot on her heels. "I can _hardly_ wait to see how _divine_ and _beautiful_ and _powerful_ a familiar you'll summon, Louise the Zero."

"Leave me alone…" Louise growled. She was not in the mood to deal with the Zerbst, being far more tired than usual. Unfortunately, it was something her rival seemed to notice.

"Did someone not get enough sleep?" asked Kirche, her tone like she was talking to a baby.

Louise glared up at the taller girl. "Shut up, Zerbst," she said, turning back to the Professor. "The Summoning is starting."

The Professor had moved to the side and called for a student to begin the Summoning. The first was a boy named Thomas. He walked up to the edge of a chalk pentagram—which served no purpose other than abiding tradition—and began to cast. Raising his wand he began the ceremony with one of the many variations of the Summoning Spell, intoning the ancient spell as if he were reading it off a note. Once the spell finished and he had performed the flourish of his wand, a large green mirror like orb materialised from nothingness in the centre of the pentagram. It stayed like that for a second, before it disappeared with a flash, leaving behind a floating purple eyeball the size of a head.

It was a Bugbear, a creature said to belong to the air class of familiars, feeding off the ambient magic in the air to stay afloat and to survive.

Immediately after, another student took his place, summoning another creature, then another and another. One after another, each student summoned a familiar, some conjuring something mundane, such as a frog or a cat, to the weird and creepy such as the girl who ended up with a dog sized spider or a duck-beaver… _thing_. Finally, were the select few students who got the magical and powerful familiars, such as Tabitha's wind dragon; large, blue, with four legs and two powerful wings. From what she had read, the creature was quite young compared to other dragons.

Kirche was the other one who summoned a magical creature, conjuring forth a fire salamander—a large oversized red lizard with a live fire emitting from the tip of its tail—much to the admiration of her male cohorts. Even Louise had to admit she was slightly impressed with her rival, before banishing the thought with a scowl.

"Has everyone summoned a familiar?" asked Professor Colbert, surveying the gathered crowd of assorted creatures and students; oblivious to the familiar-less pinkette who frowned at the question. _Am I that forgettable...?_ She thought.

"Not yet!" Kirche said singsonged, still patting her new familiar, before pointing to Louise, "Louise hasn't summoned anything, yet!"

The buzz that had prevailed over the crowd ended swiftly, everybody stopping what they were doing to turn to Louise with either a nervous frown or malicious joy. Even the teacher took a bit nervous, before it changed to apologetic, then finally something encouraging. "Miss Vallière, could you please step forwards to summon your familiar?"

"Uh… yes," Louise said, choosing to not look at the Professor as she addressed him, moving towards the Summoning circle. _Ignore him, just focus on summoning a familiar_.

She stopped at the edge of the summoning circle, a mask of indifference covering the nerve-racking fear and anger that festered within. Behind her, she could hear the buzz of the students pick up again, no longer praising each other for their success in summoning a familiar but making jokes or insulting statements at her own expense.

Each insult chipped away at her mask as her anxiety disappeared in a puff of smoke as loathing took hold. She glared at the pentagram, trying to ignore them all as she went through the summoning spell in her head. Raising her wand, she began to chant, ignoring Kirche's barb at her boast the day before, " _My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe. My divine, beautiful, and powerful servant, heed my call! I wish from the very bottom of my heart, bring forth my familiar and appear!_ "

Then, Louise suddenly swished her wand towards the centre of the pentagram as the rest of the students, and even the teacher braced themselves for an explosion.

…

…

Nothing.

Nothing but a vague feeling of dirtiness. Louise still wore the face of anticipation that had taken over during the chanting. It was like time had frozen. And it was quiet. Much too quiet. If someone on the other side of the school had dropped a coin, Louise was sure the entire class would have jumped. Yet, nothing.

Then someone laughed. It was a pathetic laugh, one people who do when they hear a bad joke but don't know whether to laugh or not. Then another, and another, and soon, the entire class was laughing. At first, Louise was confused; there was no explosion, so she could not have failed… right?

But as laughter reached new heights, she finally understood what was happening. _I… failed?_ Her mask cracked as her mind filled with anguish and despair.

"…ouis? Louise!?" the Professor shouted, jolting the Vallière scion back to reality.

She turned around, her eyes blinking owlishly as she looked to the various students laughing at her expense, yet it was only a low hum in her ear. She wanted to run away, to run to her room, shut the door and cry. She wanted to wake up and find out that the entire day was some kind of nightmare. She wanted Cattleya, Mother, Father, or even Éléonore.

She tried to run, but her legs would not carry her. So, without anywhere to run, she—for the first time in years—broke down crying in front of everyone. Howling like a wounded beast, she cried and cried, soon overpowering the sounds of laughter. Some found this even more amusing, their laughter becoming too much for them to keep standing; more chuckled for a bit, before falling into an awkward silence; and others silencing, feeling a sudden ugly feeling of shame gnaw at their gut.

"Louise, we should go to the Headmaster's office…" Colbert said eventually, finding the child-like wailing to be extremely unnerving, but the only reply he got was for the crying to get louder and louder. Eventually, he decided to levitate her to the Headmaster's office. But as he tried to do so, a loud and desperate shout stopped him in his tracks.

" **No**!"

Louise did not know what she was doing when she picked up her wand. She felt like she could not control her body like she was possessed. One moment she was being carted off to the Headmaster's office, and the next she seemed to have an epiphany and her body began to move on its own to the centre of the pentagram. That is when she began to chant.

" _ **Shâsot, tyûk, midwan, asha!**_ "

With those first guttural words, everything froze. The unnatural sound of her voice and what sounded like another, older, more masculine voice chanting in unison silenced everyone around her.

" _ **Shâsotjontû ia nuyak, Louise Françoise de Blanc de La Vallière tyûk ro Qyâsik ia kifyit ka nun!**_ "

Strange sky-blue mist began to seep from her wand and hands as she moved them in strange archaic ways. Her head was flung back involuntarily, and she could see the sky darken above as ominous clouds formed overhead.

" _ **Midwansisjontû, kotswinot itsu nuyak!**_ "

The earth inside the pentagram began to crack, releasing dark smoke that began to converge and swirled around her legs. And suddenly, as if something had just clicked in her mind, she felt opened to the world around her. She could feel those around her, this strange feeling permeating from each of them. She could also feel it from the familiars, some of which had fled, and some of which were trying to save their summoners from whatever were to come next. It threatened to overwhelm her, like a tidal wave crashing down upon her, but something blocked it, saving her from drowning.

" _ **Nedrissis nû qyâ nu wonen**_ —"

The wind that was once simply a calm breeze, was now a howling storm as the clouds above thickened and began to swirl above Louise, strange lightning snapping and cracking above.

"— _ **ka châtsatul asha nun razut!**_ "

The instant that final word was spoken, everything stilled for a second, the clouds and smoke seemed to reverse slightly, before a beam of blue cloudy energy shot down from above, slamming onto Louise with a thunderous crash. Everything, students, teacher, and the familiar's that had yet to flee, were thrown back, blinded by the bright flash of light. And just like it appeared, the blue beam disappeared.

Several seconds later, the assembled class were able to recover and began to stand once more. Even with the after effects of the bright flash limiting their eyesight, one thing was certain. There was a crater where the circle once stood, where their fellow student once stood, still smouldering with purple-black smoke.

No body was ever found.

Louise Françoise le Blanc de La Vallière was no more.

* * *

Darkness.

The inky blackness of the Void.

That was all Louise could see, no matter which direction she turned and the only thing she could see, was her own body. An ugly sensation washed down her spine, as her mind tried to comprehend what she was seeing. At first, she thought she was simply dreaming, that her wish had come true and the entire summoning had just been a nightmare. So, she pinched herself.

It hurt.

Now confused and scared, she started to act erratically; her breath quickened as her head darted around, hoping and praying to see anything different in the black void she saw now in. Her breathing turned to hyperventilation, and soon her body began to move frantically.

"Hello!" she shouted into the emptiness. "Anybody out there! Somebody, please, get me out of here!"

Yet, nothing.

Her fearful struggling continued until she received a mental slap from her brain, prompting her to try and think of another explanation other than 'dream' for her predicament.

She did not like the conclusion.

"Am I dead…?" she asked to void, her voice barely above a whisper. The more she thought, the more she believed. "I blew myself up after failing the summoning," she said matter-of-factly.

When the situation sunk in fully, she just blinked. This did not look like Valhalla. This did not look like what the Church perched that the afterlife was like. She saw no pearly gates, no Founder, no Valkyries, no gods, no Saints, no nothing. Just the void.

Louise began to laugh.

It was not a kind laugh, one of mirth. It was a cold laugh, one that sent chills down peoples' necks, one that scared children and animals, one that spoke of someone who has lost it all. She laughed when the back of her left hand lit up. She laughed when she felt it burn her hand. She screamed as seven individual runes etched themselves into her skin. She screamed as the black void melted away in a purple-green flash, revealing an azure sky and an amber sun above.

The last thing she saw, was the dark slate of the ground, rushing towards her.

* * *

Louise groaned as she stirred from her sleep. Her entire body ached as if she had been hit by a Square-Class spell, and her bed was not helping matters. _What did the servants do to my bed, fill it with rocks?_

Slowly, Louise pulled herself into a sitting position on her bed before stifling a massive yawn as she stretched her arms out. She went to rub the back of her neck, the part that seemed to ache the most but froze when instead of feeling skin, she the cool touch of metal. Snapping her eyes open, the Pinkette leapt out of the bed and went to go check her neck in the mirror… only to discover that there was no mirror, nor was she in her bedroom.

Louise looked around the strange room, her shock evident. It was quite large and had the basic shape of a stubby 'T' with cold slate floors and dark grey steel walls and roof. She could see no windows anywhere, with the only light coming from strange white lights above her. At the bottom end of the room was an unassuming door and at the other end was a large indent that reminded her vaguely of a large manor door. Along the sides of the main walls, were several beds, much like the one she had been laying on; single sized bunk beds that sat perpendicular to the wall with two grey footlockers on either side of the bed.

Slowly and cautiously, Louise made her way over to one of the door like things. Choosing the manoresque door, she found that it had no handles or anything, yet she knew it to be a separate entity from the wall. And so, with all her strength, she tried to push the door open. Yet it did not budge. She tried finding anything that would allow her to pull, but the entire thing seemed sealed shut.

She could feel panic start to set in as her hands shook and her breathing quickened. Without any idea of how to make the door budge, she rushed to the other door, only to find that the door would move, and acted like a sliding door that slid into the wall.

Passing the threshold, Louise expected to find another way out, a window, or something, but all she found were two rooms; the one closest to the entrance was small with a few horizontal bars hanging from the walls at waist height with several towels on them and a few benches in the middle of the room; the second was larger with a tiled floor and strange pipes hanging from the top half of the walls. It appeared she had walked into some strange kind of washroom with the pipes up near the roof being taps. To her, it was a highly inefficient way to bathe, not that bathing had taken up any part of her mind, at the moment. There was no other door or anything else that clued her in on where she was.

Louise tried to calm herself, knowing that panicking would do nothing good even in this situation. So, with that in mind, she returned to the main room and went back to the bed she had woken up in. There, she sat and tried to review her memories. But try as she might, she could not figure anything out, until she caught a glance at the back of her hands, or more specifically, the back of her left hand.

 _Runes?_

She gazed at them etching on her skin, and suddenly, she remembered where she got it from: the void. Flashes of memories appeared before her eyes as she began to recall what had happened, from the familiar summoning to the flash of light, to the void, then falling…

Her mind instantly went to the worst-case scenario. "I… I failed the Summoning."

Four words she never wished to utter. Louise felt like curling up into a ball and just _dying_. _I failed…_

It was the only thing that made sense; she failed the summoning and her parents had discarded her without letting her say goodbye, possibly because they could not face their failure of a daughter. She was now a fallen noble, worse than a commoner, dressed in strange brown pants, a tan shirt and grey work boots. She had no wand, no power, no anything, only commoner garb and had a strange metal _thing_ strapped to her neck.

Louise did not know how long she spent crying her heart out into the poor excuse of a pillow, and she did not care. She was alone in an alien place without anybody to tell her what was going on. But by the fifth minute, she had blocked out most outside stimuli.

Without any way of telling the time, Louise did not know how much time had passed when she fell into the welcoming arms of semi-consciousness, but soon found herself ripped from it as someone shook her shoulder, saying something in a strange language that she could not understand.

Louise's head snapped towards the voice, only for ice to fill her veins as she was confronted by a large gathering of… people? She could see some… well, normal people, but they only numbered around three out of the fourteen. The rest were made up of strange human-like creatures; four looked similar enough to humans, except for their chalk white skin and the lack of hair atop their heads; another four-looked human enough, if it was not for their bald heads with horns that spurt from their heads like a crown; and finally, three were similar enough to the ones with the horns, however instead of horns, they had two thick tentacles that sprouted from the back of their heads.

It was the tentacle headed creature that caught her eye the most, though, as one of them—an old and frail orange skinned one—was leaning over her curiously, and for some reason, it clicked that he was the one who had spoken.

Instantly, Louise began to back away from the menagerie of beings. Unfortunately, she was only on a single bed so quickly found herself falling from the bed and onto her back—the strange metal collar jabbing painfully into the back of her neck. Her fall had caused a small ruckus within the group who began to move in closer to her, but their movements only caused Louise's fear to kick into overdrive. A loud piercing screech echoed throughout the room as she began scrambling away from the creatures, pulling herself up and rushing to the back of the room to hide in the strange washroom.

The door slid open, permitting her entry, and she suddenly realised that she could not actually use the door as an adequate blockade against the creatures. But she had gotten so far and decided that hiding in the washroom and hoping they would leave her alone was a good enough plan. In the end, Louise found nowhere to hide and soon, her only choice was to try and merge with the furthest corner away from the door.

She could hear the door slid open with a strange hiss as the sound of boots hitting the metal floor came echoed in the nearly empty room. The creature spoke again, the sounds of walking gone. To Louise, it sounded like a question, but for what, only her terror-stricken mind to ponder. After a moment's pause, the footsteps returned and soon she could see the creature once again. He walked like any human would, and, if she was not so scared, she would have noticed the appearance of worry in the creased lines of his face.

Louise shrieked again, causing the orange man to back off slightly, raising his hands to try and placate her. "Monster!" she yelled, curling up as she stared at the creature, "Somebody, help me! Monster!"

It spoke again, its hands and general body language imploring Louise to calm down, but any effect it might have had was dashed when Louise spied the sharpened teeth in its maw.

Her sobbing increased, her cheeks wet with tears as she begged, "Oh Brimir, please don't eat me! Please!"

The creature shouted suddenly, two distinct words that, despite not knowing what they meant, she understood. _Calm down_. Louise stilled, looking fearfully up at the creature. The creature continued speaking, however, what it was saying, was lost on her.

 _I-Is it trying to speak to me?_ Louise thought, looking closely at the thin man… thing. He was dressed similarly, though his outfit was much larger, if dirtier than hers, and he also seemed to have the same metal thingy on the back of his neck. Aside from his dress, the only other noticeable thing was the kind blue eyes. Maybe she was not going to get eaten, but it still left her with someone she was unable to understand and understand her in turn. And so, she said, only to receive a momentarily confused look in return.

He spoke again, but this time the dialect was different, so she assumed it might have been a different language. When she only returned a confused look, he changed again, and again, and again. After a few more language switches, he seemed to give up and revert back to the original language. What he said, was still unknown, but the sigh told her he was exasperated, leaving Louise concerned that she might have annoyed the sharp-toothed not-human.

Then, as if he had an idea, he straightened up and pointed to himself before saying, " _Renv'amor_."

At first, Louise was confused, but after he repeated it twice, then pointed to her, Louise suspected that he was telling her his name, in some primitive fashion. _Well, if this isn't the most barbaric introduction I've ever had._ A small part of her thought sardonically. Nevertheless, Louise decided to play along and pointed to the being called 'Ren-va-mor' and proceeded to butcher the unfamiliar name on her first try.

All sense of terror gone, replaced by embarrassment as the orange man just stared at her. With a sigh, he once again pointed towards himself, and said " _Ren_."

Feeling a mixture of bashfulness and annoyance that the creature had to dumb down its own name for her, Louise huffed and repeated the shorter version of his name, "Ren."

Nodding, he pointed towards her with a hopeful expression. Elation filled her as she realised that the creature, despite not being human, might know her family name, and so she said, with as much confidence as possible in her cowering position, "Louise Françoise le Blanc de La Vallière."

Unfortunately, the creature only gave her a queer look, as if to say, 'do you expect me to call you such a thing?' It was a look that also caused her hopes to be dashed, because had he known of the Vallière name, he would have reacted with more grace, with one speaking to a Noble… _or perhaps he's just treating me like a Fallen Noble_. A traitorous part of her thought. She could feel her tears start to return, but she pushed them back as fast as she could and answered the amended, "Louise."

"Louise," he repeated, to which she nodded in reply. With a nod of his own, he held out a hand to the young Vallière, obviously intending to help the girl stand up. Considering her options, Louise tentatively grasped the outstretched hand with her own, noting how coarse it felt. Ren, showing surprising strength for one so old and thin, pulled the girl to her feet, where she began to wipe away her tears. Together they left the washroom.

Upon joining the other not-humans on just outside the bath, Ren began to talk adamantly to the others who expressed obvious curiosity and an underlining melancholy towards the pink-haired girl. While they did this, Louise found herself drawn to the various types of not-humans she could see and found that they were more or less dressed the same, with the same metal thingy on their necks. Some tried talking to her, even switching languages to find out if they knew one she spoke after Ren assumedly told them about the language barrier; but it was no use.

As she continued looking at the wide array of creatures, Louise suddenly felt quite silly when she thought back to her reaction, thinking they were monster, despite known there were some humans among them. Not only that, but she felt elation knowing that if she was to be stuck with any inhuman, it was anything other than an Elf.

But, the conversation soon came to an end when a loud and unexpected buzzing sound blared to life around the room, causing Louise to nearly leap from her skin. Everyone else reacted as if this happened every day, though it was obvious they were slightly confused as to what was going on.

Nevertheless, Ren tapped Louise on the shoulder and gestured her to follow the other strange people as they congregated at the other end of the room. She was then forced to get into a line with Louise placed between Ren and one of the people with the horns on his head.

While still confused, Louise suddenly started to feel a dreadful feeling welling up in her stomach as the clock ticked by. Soon, the door she could not open, hissed, before sliding into the walls. And from the greyish hall that was revealed, came three figures. The first was a sturdy human—thankfully—of average height. He was dressed in a grey uniform like tunic with similarly grey pants, calf-high boots and a strange multicoloured plaque upon his breast. He extruded an oppressive aura which was tainted with sleaziness.

His two compatriots, on the other hand, were frightening; dressed in full body armour of dark grey and black, that gave the two an intimidating presence. Not only that, but the fact that all three were armed—the man in the uniform had a strange pistol by his side, while the obvious soldiers held even stranger musket like weapons in their hands—helped make Louise wary of angering them.

The uniformed man stopped halfway between the lineup and the entry door, as his guards, as they undoubtedly were his guards, stood just behind him, armed and ready. His steely grey eyes looked over the gathered beings before they landed on Louise. He barked an order, using the same strange language the rest had spoken.

Knowing it was an order, just from the tone, but not knowing what he said, Louise stood where she was, looking at him strangely. She was about to speak, when Ren stepped forwards, with his head bowed in submission.

The man growled, saying something as he reached for a strange small cylinder on his belt.

Ren flinched, but held his ground as he replied to the man.

The two had a short back and forth, leaving Louise confused and scared. She knew they were talking about her, her name even being mentioned once, but aside from that, she knew nothing about what either of them were saying. Soon, the man said something, smirking cruelly. Ren flinched at the words but obediently replied with what she assumed was something similar to a 'yes, sir' or, 'yes, milord'.

Once again, the man barked something before turning, beginning to march out of the room, his guards following.

Ren left with the three strangers, his head downcast, and Louise tried to follow, not knowing anything that was going on, but before she could, a hand grasped her shoulder. Looking up, she saw one of the creatures with the crown of horns shake her head. The meaning was clear, and from the atmosphere left in the wake of the three men, she did not feel like disobeying.

The door slid closed, and after a few seconds, the rest of the people went on with their lives. A few pitying looks and at least one hostile glare came her way, but other than that, no one else spoke to her or even made a move too. It was almost like they were scared.

And so, Louise was once again alone.

…

When Ren returned, Louise immediately felt worried. Despite his best attempts to hide it, as it was obvious to the girl he was hiding it, she could see that he walked with a slight limp, and the pained expression betrayed any sense of well-being.

Louise had no idea what to do in this situation. Should she go and help him? Should she get someone else? Whatever her decision, it did not matter, as Ren soon began walking over to her with a pained smile on his face. He moved onto his bed, soon find himself almost relaxed on it.

At the tip of her tongue, a question waited to be asked, despite knowing he would not understand, but it soon died when he picked up her pathetic excuse of a pillow and said a word in his strange language. Five more repeats of the same word later, and Louise finally understood what he was getting at.

" _Pillow_ ," she said, mimicking the sounds he made.

And so, Louise began learning a new language.

Hours passed as Ren tried his best to impart the language onto Louise, starting by listing off the names of various things like beds, lockers, doors, arms, legs, tentacles and so on and so forth. By the time Louise thought she could retain the names of objects, he also began to teach her the names of the others, such as the horned girl who stopped Louise was named Notri. She was also given a crash-course in the names of the different creatures they were. Ren was a _Twi'lek_ , Notri was a Zabrak, while the chalk white people were known as the Rattataki, which she found ridiculously hard to pronounce.

Nevertheless, their lessons had to come to an end, something Louise was positively grateful for as she had felt tired ever since Ren had left; the day's events catching up on her. Yet, sleep was hard to find, as when the lights were turned off, and the others had gone to sleep, she found herself repeating the day over and over ago as they slowly sunk in.

Not wanting to wake the others, Louise cried softly, and soon fell asleep when she could cry no more.


	2. (II) New Chains

**Chapter 2 -** **New Chains**

* * *

Louise was drawn awake by the sound of someone calling her name. While she knew she needed to answer the summons, the urge to just curl up into a small ball overwhelmed her. "Louise," the voice called again. A hand clasped around her shoulder, shaking her. "Louise!"

A groan left her mouth, one that spoke of restless sleep and the low-quality bedding. _Who dares disturb my rest?_ She grumbled, raising her head from the limp pillow to look at he who dared. In her tired state, it took her a moment before her eyes could properly open an adjust, but once they did, she found herself looking at a somewhat nervous orange Twi'lek she knew as Ren. A sight that she was still getting used to.

"Gah!" she cried, falling off the single bed – another thing she needed to get used to – and onto the cold hard floor. The orange man quickly came to see if she was okay, only to rear back as Louise glared at him with the intensity of an irate dragon.

Though instead of intimidating the alien, it seemed to amuse him as he chuckled at the sight. After helping her up, he gestured to the footlocker on the left side of the bed and she understood his meaning. It was hers, of course, one filled with a spare shirt and pants as well as a pair of thick gaudy gloves, boots, and some strange eyewear – goggles, she reminded herself.

Around her, she could see a few of the Barracks residences pulling out the gloves, boots and goggles, slipping the latter over their heads and around their necks while the former two were slipped on their hands and feet respectively.

"Clothes. On," Ren ordered, moving over to the right side of the bed to access his own locker.

Sighing slightly, Louise grabbed both the gloves, goggles, boots and spare clothes and took them with her into the washroom. Fortunately, it seemed everyone had washed up already, so she was able to change in relative privacy.

As she dressed – an act she felt was quite demeaning, though she doubted her demand for someone else to dress her would go down well – anxiety began to take hold of her heart. It was not because, at any moment, Ren or anyone else could walk in. No, it was the strange feeling that something was going to happen. Whether it would be her finally leaving the stuffy confines of the Barracks or finding someone who could at least speak her language, she did not know.

Just as Louise finished tying up her boots, the loud 'alarm' started buzzing quite suddenly, causing the pinkette to jump in fright, her heart hammering in her chest. With a few curses directed to whomever decided that such an alarm was a good idea, Louise left the washroom just in time to nearly run into Ren, who looked as if he was just coming by to get her himself. The reluctance in his eyes concerned her.

At first, she thought they were going to see the strange man once again, but instead, Ren guided her towards the entryway. Relief crept through her as she realised that she would be leaving the stuffy Barracks and, hopefully, get to see the outside. The door, like before, opened with a hiss, revealing a short pale hallway that led to similar doors at the end. Above, at both ends of the hall, were two oddities called cameras hanging like a metal eye above the doors. Once they reached the end of the hallway, the door opened, and Louise suddenly found herself assaulted by sunlight.

Louise winced, raising a hand to protect her eyes, but once they adjusted, she could not help but let her jaw drop.

While she did wonder about what lies beyond the pragmatic grey walls of the Barracks, she did have an idea of what she hoped to see. What she actually saw, however, destroyed her expectations in a massive fiery ball of disappointment. Thoughts of a town sitting in a wide open green field by a river to a city sprawling within snow-capped mountains were crushed. Instead, she got a small village of strange architecture. She could not even see what land lie beyond the village, but she knew that lush fields and evergreen forests were not a part of it. A few mountains could be seen, but they were far from being snow-capped, instead looking like massive rocks jutting from the ground. The closest one loomed over the village like an ominous spire.

The village was quite large, with quite a few buildings visible, made from just as much metal and strange not-stone as the Barracks she had just left. Not only that but there were several other nearly identical barracks sat next to hers in a grid-like formation with several other beings filtering out of it, all wearing the strange clothes and collar she herself wore. A large metal fence cut the barracks off from the rest of the village, guarded by more of those guards in the strange armour from yesterday.

It was strange, why would there be guards out the front of the Barracks and why would it be fenced off? Silently she cursed the language barrier, once again.

Following Ren's lead, Louise found herself walking through the village, passing several buildings and guards along the way – it seemed that no matter where they walked, there would be a small group of guards watching them as if waiting for something bad to happen. It confused the girl, who knew quite rightly that any village around the same size as the one she was walking through should only have a few guards on standby, the number only rising during wartime.

Louise tried to push these worrisome thoughts from her mind as she walked through the town, towards the massive mountain. Instead, she focused on the architecture, wondering who and how the buildings were created. Obviously, it was impossible for any commoner to build, but the level of skill would require a square-class earth mage at the least to construct the strange buildings. Not only that, but the entire settlement held a strong military vibe to it. Everything was built looking like it could withstand a siege with the amount of metal and not-stone that they were constructed from.

Aside from the buildings, she could also see a few banners waving in the slight breeze. A thick red stripe went down the centre with thin black stripes clamping at the sides; in the centre, a hexagon was embossed in white with a smaller red hexagon hollowing it out, spiked with six tapered arrows that stuck out from the points of the shape. A stylised white arrow sat above and below the shape, pointing up and down respectively. Louise did not recognise it and she had memorised all the coat of arms and heraldry of Halkeginia. A part of her wilted further at the obvious sign she was far from home.

Instead, she continued on towards the mountain.

Louise was not sure how long it took to arrive at the base of said mountain, but if she were to guess, it was twenty to thirty minutes. Tall spire like and made almost exclusively of dark grey like slate, it looked as if it had been stripped by powerful winds. A massive artificial cave was carved into the base of it, and she could not help but realise that what she was looking at was a mine, or at least what her imagination thought a mine looked like.

Around the mouth, she spotted several strange metal wagons sitting off to the side, too large for her to see any of the contents. A few other strange contraptions sat around the entry, some looking far too strange for Louise to decipher their purpose. Instead of focusing on the strange things, however, she found herself focused solely on the mineshaft, especially as it seemed to be her destination.

Entering the wide mineshaft, she passed a large group of sweaty and tired looking beings dressed, once again, similarly to her. They were being escorted by a few of the guards. Briefly, some turned to look at Louise, their eyes glassy and distant, before quickly looking away, towards the natural light of the outside. Unease settled in Louise's stomach as all the pieces started coming together, but desperately she tried to push the thoughts away, rejecting the very idea her mind conjured.

More of the strange static magelights hung from the ceiling, lighting the way.

Eventually, the group reached a wide dead end, deep down in the shaft. Near the entry to said dead end was a rack, filled with strange, bulky musket like things she had seen a few times during her walk here. Off in the corner, was one of those large wagons with a step ladder nearby so people could access it.

Ren pulled up his goggles, which had been hanging around his neck, and placed them over his eyes. Around her, others did the same. With her own goggles, Louise followed along, not quite knowing what was going on. The goggles themselves, felt strange, as if they were constricting a bit around her head, and felt supremely uncomfortable around her eyes. Her distress, however, was thankfully noticed. Unfortunately, the one to come over and assist her was the big hairy thing known simply as the Wookie. She felt herself tense as the wookie came to her side, pulling the goggles off her head – something that felt quite painful as it seemed to pull on her hair. He, or at least she assumed it was a he, adjusted the strap around the back, handing it to Louise to try it on.

After trying it on, she found that it was a bit too loose. After a bit more back and forth, she finally found her goggles fitting nicely around her head, though there was still the uncomfortable suction feeling around her eyes. "Eh… thank you, Mr Wookie," Louise said awkwardly, not really knowing his name or anything.

The wookie growled back with a nod and for some reason, she felt as if he were saying something along the lines of 'your welcome'.

Once that was out of the way, Ren said something in his strange language to the gathered group. The group replied and the orange Twi'lek turned towards the rack, collecting one of the strange muskets. Walking back to the gathered crowd, he presented the gaudy and heavy looking object to Louise, speaking in his strange tongue. " _Mining laser_ ," he repeated, once, twice, and a third time, gesturing to the metallic monstrosity.

Louise looked at the so-called ' _mining laser_ ' – whatever that was – with apprehension.

Taking it in hand, she swore, nearly dropping the piece of equipment onto the floor in surprise for how heavy it actually was. She tried readjusting her grip on the tool but found her poorly muscled arms inadequate. Eventually, she settled it on the floor, holding it upright. Fortunately, none of the beings around her were laughing at this inadequacy, but that did not stop the blush from adorning her ears. In actuality, everyone seemed to be looking at her sadly.

Ren sighed, picking up her laser and trying to teach her the best way of holding it to save her strength. It was still unwieldy, but because of the added assistance, she could finally hold it up on her own. Once pleased that she wasn't going to drop it, he began listing off the names of several parts of the _mining laser_ such as the _grip_ , the _barrel_ , and the _trigger_.

Picking up a _mining laser_ of his own, he gestured for Louise to follow. He took her near a part of the wall which looked partially melted and cracked with a bit of shine to it that she assumed was ore. With ease that spoke of years of practice, Ren pointed the laser at the wall, just around the ore, and after fiddling with a small nob on the side, he pulled the trigger.

What Louise expected from the strange musket was not what she got. Instead of a loud bang followed by a flash and some smoke, instead, it was more of a 'pew' sound, followed by a beam of some form of orange light that slammed into the wall, carving, and melting into it like solid fire.

Louise, naturally, reacted poorly to the strange sight and sound, dropping the mining laser with a squeal, backing away quickly, her heart hammering in her chest. Nobody laughed, instead continuing to watch the girl sadly.

And suddenly, that small thought she tried desperately to banish returned with a vengeance.

Ren shook his head and tried to help Louise pick up the _mining laser_ , but she would not cooperate. Standing up abruptly, she crossed her arms and scowled at Ren. "No!" she hissed, her body shaking. "I will not be forced to… to sully my hand with such labour!"

Ren shook his head, saying something in his language to the rest of the group who broke off, picking up a few of the _mining lasers_ to begin blasting at the walls.

Her breathing quickened. Ren moved up to her, his eyes kind, but she ignored him

He continued speaking, sounding pleading, as he tried to get her to pick up the _mining laser_.

"No! There must be a mistake," she said, pleading with the Founder above to let them understand her. "I can't be a miner! I can't! I'm Louise François de Blanc de La Vallière! I'm the daughter of a Duke! I'm-I'm," her voice faltered, sounding desperate, "I'm a mage!"

Her eyes stung, tears welling up. Her words felt hollow to her ears. She pulled off her goggles, throwing them to the floor and rubbed her eyes, trying desperately to stop crying.

A hand grasped her shoulder, holding her still. She tried to remove the hand, glaring at Ren, but his hand held strong. "Louise," he said, he said pleadingly. "Louise."

"No!" She shouted, moving away from the Twi'lek. "I am not some… some miner!" Tears continue to fall down her face, an aching pain making itself known in her chest. "I can't!" she cried. "I-I just… I just want to go home!"

Two strong arms wrapped around her. She struggled against them, trying to break free, but they were just too strong. Her fighting slowed, and she broke down into a sobbing mess.

"Louise," Ren said focusing her eyes on him. He continued speaking, but the only words she could understand was 'no' and 'food'. She could piece together the meaning easily enough: If you don't work, you wouldn't get any food. But it was so… alien to her it was difficult to comprehend. She had to work for food and if she did not, she would starve.

Part of her wanted to do just that; to just die. Her life had practically ended. She was stuck in a land she knew nothing about, trapped in some sort of job against her will. Her entire life had been ripped from her and she had no idea what to do.

Ren shook her gently. "Louise…" he said, pleadingly. He picked up the mining laser, holding it out to her. " _Louise_."

Louise looked up at the orange alien with stinging eyes. She wanted to argue, to yell and scream. But, she could not bring herself to. She took the bulky tool in hand and took to work, Ren guiding her every step of the way.

…

Louise did not know how long she had been down in the mines, several hours at least. She had taken a few breaks throughout it, which a few others had done, but aside from that, she had been working.

At the moment, she was blasting into the walls, her mind focused purely on wrenching free a stubborn piece of ore. Her arms ached, the _mining laser_ recoiling every time she fired off… whatever magic it ran on, and despite her determination, she could not block out the pain. Small chunks of rock flung from the walls where she blasted, snapping off the nearby walls and stinging her arms and face. It was unbearable, but she found herself unable to care. Exhaustion and hunger ached inside, the few times she had tried to ask Ren when they would be taking a break or get fed, but all he did was shake his head. She had even tried to take a nap a few times, but the sound, heat and uncomfortable rocky ground did little. All she got out of that was more filth to mar her already soaked with sweat clothes.

She hated this. She loathed this. But she could do nothing.

Pausing in her mining, leaning the _mining_ _laser_ against the wall as she licked her dry lips, trying to moisturise them. Shaking her arms, she tried to rid the aches, but it did little to nothing to rid herself of the painful feelings.

A loud blearing sound echoed from deep within the mineshaft, her head sluggishly moving towards the wall. Everyone else in the tunnel stopped their mining and turned towards the mouth of their little spot, and almost immediately, they began to pack up, placing their _mining lasers_ on the rack.

Louise blinked a few times. _Are we done now?_

A hand grabbed her shoulders, startling the Pinkette. Ren looked down at her with a slight smile, gesturing to the rack that was slowly filling up with _mining lasers_. A small smile of her own graced her lips as she used a sudden and inexplicable supply of energy to drag the mining contraption onto the rack.

It was almost like a huge burden had been pulled off her shoulder, yet her body still ached. With Ren guiding her, making sure she did not fall over, despite her body wishing to just _rest_ she followed her little group out of the mineshaft. She did not even notice when they acquired a few guards to guide them.

Once out, she shuffled along, however instead of walking to the Barracks, they arrived somewhere different. A big, flat building built nearby to the fence that blocked the Barracks from the rest of the village. Inside, she found herself in what she could only call the dining hall, though it was different than any dining hall she had seen.

Her stomach growled, once again reminding her of her hunger. Holding her hand to her stomach, she followed the group up to a counter which seemed to be where they collected their food. Lining up with Ren in front of her and one of the few humans behind her, she waited.

Eventually, it was her time to collect, only to momentarily be stunned upon realising _who_ or rather _what_ was giving her food. It looked like a golem, but keeping in line with the strange land she found herself in, it was made of metal. Glowing eyes looked at her with no emotion as it handed her a metal tray filled with some strange grey gruel.

Had Louise been in any other mindset, she would have reacted in some way, but instead, she just took what she was given and took a seat next to Ren.

As she suspected, it tasted bland. She had no idea what words could best describe the taste, so bland was the best way she could explain it. Nevertheless, Louise found herself too hungry to ignore the paste and quickly found herself devouring it with gusto.

Yet, when the tray became empty, her stomach still growled.

Turning to Ren, she gestured to the tray, trying to best to tell him 'May I have some more,' with hand movements and the little bit of the language she had learned.

The answer was no.

Soon after what she assumed was dinner, considering the low hanging orange sun in the sky, she and the rest of the miners were whisked away to the Barracks. The wish the quickly bathe was at the forefront of her mind, but upon touching down on her bed, she collapsed, her body unwilling to continue. And almost instantly, she fell asleep.

And in her state of unconsciousness, Louise dreamed. Actually, it was less a dream, and more of a memory, one that happened so long ago, yet it seemed so close.

 _A young Louise sat in a beached rowboat by the lakeside near La Vallière Manor. In each hand, she held a pair of well-made dolls. One was made in that of a manticore, while the other looked like a stylised knight. Both, while well made, were worn by time and rough play, much as she was doing now, smashing them together in mock battle._

 _The lakeside rowboat was a haven, a place where she would often visit whenever she wished to be alone. Today, she was here to calm down after having her wand confiscated for the foreseeable future, all because of her sister's jeers._ It wasn't my fault I blew up the couch. Big Sister Éléonore was the one who started it! _she seethed bitterly, smashing her dolls together violently._

 _It had all started when she finished with her magical theory tutor. Éléonore had immediately set in, telling her that she was wasting her time with her tutor, that she was a failure with magic. Her sister had even voiced a budding theory as to why her magic was faulty; because the real Louise died during childbirth and she was just a replacement. On the verge of tears, Louise shouted back that she was a mage and tried to prove this by levitating a quill._

 _As a result, the feather was annihilated and the furniture around it destroyed._

 _Neither their mother or father had been pleased. Louise and Éléonore were forced to clean the room without magic, while Louise had her wand confiscated. The eldest of the three Vallière children was the most vocal about what she had called 'servant work' but was quickly silenced by a rebuke from Mother. The youngest, on the other hand, kept her mouth shut, knowing it was best to listen to her parents. She loved them dearly, but they both could be frightening at times._

 _The room was soon cleaned to the best of their abilities, or Louise's as Éléonore made an effort to do the least of the work while complaining about it the most. Louise knew that Éléonore would have preferred to make a few snide comments directed at Louise, but she too held her tongue, fearing her parents' ire._

 _Once they were finally let free, the Pinkette left the house to be alone; something she found she did increasingly often as she grew up and her mistakes were tolerated less. Sometimes, it was better on the mind to be away from her family, though she would prefer if she could spend more time with Cattleya, her other older sister. Unfortunately, she was ill and some days, the strain of daily life was too much. Sometimes, Louise wished her magic worked and that she was a water made, just so she could try and heal her sister._

 _So here she was, sitting in the rickety old rowboat, eyes welling from the tears she would not shed as she played with her dolls. However, as she focused on smashing them around, she did not notice the mist that formed around the boat, that is, until a voice drew her attention._

 _"_ _Louise…" The voice was cold, commanding and undoubtedly male. It was strange because, one, this voice was alien to her memory, and two, she felt as if she knew the speaker._

 _Louise dropped her dolls in surprise, glancing around at the mist around her with apprehension. As if triggered by her gaze, the mist turned red from white._

 _Startled, she dropped down deeper into the boat, peeping over the side at the blood-red haze. Looking deep into the crimson haze, the pinkette inexplicably felt several emotions flow through her, hate, anger, pain, loss, envy, sorrow, fear every negative emotion that she could conceive existed and with them, memories of the past. From the first time, she used magic, to the hundredth, each a failure. When the teasing from her sister and the whispered comments from the servants started to when they became commonplace. From overhearing her father say that she shouldn't attend the academy, that she would be expelled before she reached the third year. All memories of her time at home with her family._

 _Pain racked her body, extreme and alien as the memories and emotions overwhelmed her. She fell to the floor, unable to hold herself up, crawling into the fetal position as the pain continued to lance through her body. Her arms crushed her ears with her hands, trying to stop the cruel voices._

 _Soon the memories moved to the Academy, and just like before, memories flashed within her vision, and along with the memories came the negative emotions tied. At first, the emotions were weak, Louise had hoped the institution would be able to help with her magic issues, but as the days went on and her failure became infamous, the prospect of help seemed less likely and she fell to depression, anger, and hate._

 _In the murky darkness, Louise began to hear whispers, starting off as incomprehensible voices at the edge of her hearing range, then increasing in volume and intelligibility. As the voices rose, as did the pain._

 _The voices repeated every insult, every snide comment dealt at her, the voices of her family, the students and the staff of the academy each ringing into her ear, telling her of her inadequacies. Eventually, Louise could not take it anymore, she got up off the ground, finding herself surrounded by her family and from school, each looking at her with looks of disdain their voices still playing in her head._

 _"_ _Quite!" Louise bellowed, glaring at everyone around her. "Shut up!"_

 _The voices grew despite her protests, shouting at her, that she was a failure, the bane of their existence, an abomination. That she deserved her fate, that she deserved much more._

 _"_ _Just. Shut. Up!" she screamed._

 _"_ _Louise…" the commanding and cool voice returned, though this time it was filled with a hint of something strange. The figures around her flinched back in shock, then, as if by magic, they started to blow away as if dust in the wind. And soon enough Louise was alone again._

 _"_ _Louise…" the voice repeated, this time emanating from behind her. Louise spun around eyes blazing with hate, fear and anger at whoever it was, but upon seeing the being, she stumbled back fearfully_

 _The figure that stood before her was that of a man, glowing transparent blue, standing tall and imposing. The spectres face was obscured by a mask formed in a twisted depiction of a human skull. Robes were draped around him leaving no skin to be seen, with armoured shoulders, gloves and boots showing him to be a warrior of some kind._

 _Silence drew out, the empty voids where its eyes should be staring deep into her soul, melancholy filling the air. "Come, find me…" He said looking down at the pink-haired child, then after a measurable pause, "Slave…"_

 _Before the youngest Valliere could say anything in response, the world darkened around her._

Louise woke, gasping for air. Her shirt was drenched in sweat. Never in her life had she ever experienced a dream so realistic, the spectres voice still rang in her ear.

Around her, everyone else slept, the magelights dead, blanketing the room in darkness.

She huddled herself into a ball, breathing deeply, trying to calm herself down.

" _Slave…_ " Louise mumbled, rolling the word around in her mouth. She knew, just knew somehow, that it was a word in that strange language Ren and everyone else spoke, yet she knew exactly what it meant. It had never came up when Ren tried teaching her one lesson, but despite this, she just _knew_.

 _Slave_ ; Someone who was the property of another. She had heard the word said by a few of the guards, using it to both her and her fellow miners.

Unease settled deep within Louise as she thought about the word and what it meant to her, but she could not do anything about it now in the dark of midnight.

So, she tried to fall asleep once more, knowing she would need the energy tomorrow.

* * *

The next day, Louise found herself being shaken awake by Ren, once again. This time, it seemed earlier in the morning. Noticing that she was still in her dirty clothes, she quickly left to go and wash and get changed. Once done, she found herself sat down on Ren's bed as he tried his best to renew her lessons of the alien language. First, he began to revise her on the words he had taught her the day previous, then tried teaching her other words, adding to her knowledge of nouns, verbs, and adverbs.

During this, an uneasy pit formed in her stomach, the urge to ask him about _that_ word from that night before. But every time she tried to open her mouth to ask, the question would not come out.

The alarm soon sounded, heralding the painful labour that was to come. The day passed much like it did yesterday, with them walking from the Barracks to the Mine, the long, long hours of work without food or proper breaks. Yet, despite this, Louise did not complain. Instead, she worked, slow and methodically. Occasionally, she would take a break, to conserve her energy, but when the guards walked by to check up on the work, she found herself already toiling away.

As she blasted away at the stone and ore, occasionally collecting ore she mined and throwing them into the metal wagon, she thought about the night previous. The pit from the night before grew like the hungry void as her mind processed everything. The word playing over and over again: _Slave_.

By the time her 'shift' ended, Louise already understood what was going on, she knew exactly where she was and what she was doing. But she wanted confirmation, full verbal confirmation. So when she sat down with her tray of distasteful gruel, she knew she had to ask, but the uncomfortable pit made it difficult to get the words out.

Halfway through her meal, she felt she was ready to ask.

"Ren?" Louise called. The orange Twi'lek turned to face her. She took a deep breath, settling her stomach. "You… slave?"

Despite her broken speech, Ren's expression said it all. Shock froze his face, his eyes widening before turning pitiably.

Louise was not satisfied by his response; he hadn't answered the question.

So, she asked once more. He looked as if he was considering telling a lie, but eventually, he gave her a grim look before nodding in confirmation.

Unlike her teacher's reaction, Louise seemed eerily calm despite the news; in reality, she had felt as if someone had hit her in the gut with the air hammer spell. Despite her suspicions, finding out that someone was a slave was different than assuming. Trying to calm her inner turmoil Louise asked her final question. "I… Slave?"

Ren hesitated, then nodded.

At first, Louise did nothing, just sitting there blankly. But slowly, her breath became deeper, her hands shaking as the confirmation settled within her.

She was a slave.

A growl tore from her throat. "No, no, no… No!" she screamed, her voice echoing around the cafeteria. Everyone, including the guards, stopped and focused on Louise.

"I am not a slave!" she continued, slamming her fists down onto the metal table, spilling some of her gruel. "I am Louise Françoise de Blanc de La Vallière! Daughter of Duke and Duchess de La Vallière!" She stood up from the bench and marched towards the nearest guard who had his weapon drawn, but not raised.

Louise did not back down.

Stopping in front of the guard, Louise looked straight into his mask with the face of unadulterated anger and outrage before shouting "I am a noble and I demand that you let me go!" Bits of spittle splattered against the visor of the guard.

The guard looked at her for a moment, then, from his belt, he pulled a little cylinder and pressed the top.

For a moment, she stood slightly confused. Then the most intense and agonising pain she had ever felt in her short life lanced through her like her veins were filled with the purest flame imaginable. She crashed to the floor, her muscles spazzing as a scream that spoke of both horror and pain pierced the air.

Eventually, searing hot pain stopped, but her entire body still ached. Louise felt like death, she just wanted the pain to stop. She tried to pull herself off the floor, but she could only raise her head before darkness took her.


	3. (III) Newcomers

**Chapter 3 - Newcomers**

* * *

Louise watched the strange flying machine sail through the air with vacant eyes. If she chose to squint, she would have compared it to a particularly stout bird, though its wings were stubby and immobile. She had seen a few of these so-called ' _spaceships_ ' flying around the facility, some leaving to parts unknown, but this one was different, smaller and sleeker than the others.

The spaceship drifted overhead nearing one of the bigger buildings in the compound, humming sharply. It began to slow, soon hovering a few meters off the ground as for metal legs sprouted from the bottom, allowing it to land with a _thunk_.

The back of the spaceship opened with a hiss, like the double doors to a palace, a ramp extending out for the occupancies to descend.

The first, a man with pale alabaster skin and a head of short mousy hair. Donned in an extravagant robe of purple with hints of black and decals of red, he descended the ramp like an aristocrat, tall and proud, as if he owned the place. Large pauldrons widened his profile while a strange tall and tapered gorget protected the back of his neck and head, leaving his face visible for all to see. Aside from the strange dress, there was a strange cylinder that hung from his belt, reminding her of a fancy sword hilt, just without the crossguard.

The second one was… different, for lack of a better word. Not human, that was for sure, but also unlike any of the strange beings she had met. It was a female, for one, with skin as red as freshly spilt blood and a head of cropped black hair. The bridge of her nose was ridged, and spikes, as red as the rest of her, protruded down her jaw and from her cheeks. Unlike her companion, her dress was far more casual; a sleeveless, black cropped top that bore her midriff and a pair of loose black pants tucked into a pair of calf-high boots. Covering this quite immodest dress, was a long and black bathrobe-likes article of clothing. A few gold rings hung from her ear. She too, had a sword hilt-like cylinder hanging from her belt, though this one was much longer and far less ornate.

Once their boots touched the not-stone, _duracrete_ , they surveyed the area, as if searching for something. But before anymore happened, one of the guards near her barked an order in their unintelligible tongue, shoving her forwards. Ducking her head down, she turned away from the newcomers and focused on following the rest of the slaves. Her curiosity evaporating as she focused on preparing herself for another long and hard day's work in the mines.

Louise had no idea how many days had passed since the incident in the cafeteria, an event that haunted her nightmares, and things had not improved one bit. In fact, if she were to say, it got much worse after that. If she did not know any better, she would have thought that this land was simply the afterlife and her punishment for whatever wrongdoings she must have committed. Every day, she was forced to wake up and work in the mines, toilding away in the heat with heavy and dangerous alien tools. Failure to comply would leave her screaming on the floor as the guards activated whatever the blasted torture device was on her neck. She tried yelling and screaming at the guards, demanding for them to free her, begging them to stop, but they were ignored. Even when working, she was not safe; from being punished for trying to recover from the immense workload to getting flogged for passing out on the job.

Louise did not know when, the days blurring together into one incomprehensible mess, but she eventually decided to do the only thing she could. She shut up and kept her head down. She obeyed their orders, at least the ones she could understand from the small pool of words she was learning and the context in which they were said, and she did not complain. She mined, she ate, she slept, she learned the language and when she was alone, she cried. It was difficult, but her punishments lessened after that.

Time passed, and she found she could work for longer, her arms no longer tired out as quickly and the _mining laser_ felt lighter. Without the veritable feasts the Academy fed to their students, Louise lost weight, and in place of that, she grew muscle. It was one of the few positive things she gained while here.

* * *

"My… name am… Louise?" the Pinkette said slowly, not quite sure if she were saying the alien sentence correctly.

Ren shook his head, adjusting his position on the bed. "My name 'is' Louise," he corrected with a small smile.

Louise frowned, berating herself for such a mistake and quickly corrected herself. "My name _is_ Louise."

Ren smiled at her, congratulating him in what she assumed was his version of 'good job!' Louise quirked her lips in a façade of a smile, not feeling any gratification from her progress. It was just something she did between sleeping and working in what had become her life. The Twi'lek's smile faltered slightly.

The loud bussing of the alarm blared to life, startling most everyone in the Barracks. Vocal admissions of confusion filled the air, even Louise had raised an eyebrow at it. Only an hour ago had they all awoken up from their sleep, there should at least be one more hour of relaxation before they got to work.

Then Louise realised; perhaps it was a meeting?

Louise shook her head, deigning not to think much about it. Getting off Ren's bed, she made sure she was wearing everything for the day before lining up at the entry door of the Barracks. The other slaves joined her, standing side by side, waiting for the door to slide open. When they did, Louise expected to see the sleazy man in the grey uniform walk in with his guards, but instead, it was the two strangers from the day before.

A chill crawled up her spine as the two strangers moved closer to the line-up of slaves, stopping a few feet before them. Now that they were closer, Louise could see them in more detail, and suddenly, she was questioning whether the male was actually human or not as his glowing yellow-gold eyes were quite unsettling.

The red woman's eyes were eerily similar, looking menacing when combined with the scowl etched on her face.

The male, on the other hand, wore an impish smirk as his unnerving gaze washed over the gathered slaves until they reached Louise where they stopped. The man bore into her with the intensity of the sun and suddenly, she felt like a slab of meat before a hungry wolf.

She averted her eyes.

The man coughed, clearing his throat before he began to speak in the alien tongue. It was an introduction, but Louise could not quite hear what his name was, though she understood the red lady's to be ' _Rayne_ '. He went on to say some other things, but she could not quite follow along to what was being said. And then he said something, looking pointedly towards herself and Louise suddenly realised that he was talking about her.

Her mind floundered, trying to figure out what the two strangers wanted with her; did she do something wrong? Was she being punished? Did they want to take her away from this strange land? Did they come to free- no, she would not entertain such a thought. It would only end in pain.

Ren said something in response, looking quite fearful. Actually, looking around, she found that the rest of the slaves had similarly fearful expressions, all pale-faced, or at least as pale as some could get with their colourful skin.

The man replied to Ren, saying something that seemed to placate the Twi'lek, then turned to Louise. "Forwards," he commanded, and obediently, Louise complied. With a delicate hand, he pulled on her chin, forcing her to look into his glowing eyes. Then with his other hand, he pressed three of his fingers to her forehead.

The last thing remembered was pain, like hundreds of white-hot needles, stabbing into her brain and her screams of agony before darkness took her.

A short while later, the young slave roused from unconsciousness; the pain now nothing more than a mild headache. "Maybe I went a tad overboard with the languages," the man mused with a chuckle.

Louise did not know where or how, but a fire of anger burst to life within her. Pulling herself up with surprising speed, she glared hatefully at the being before her. "A 'tad'?" she spat, about to tell the man exactly what she thought about his actions, that is until she realised exactly where she was and what she had done.

The room stilled.

Nobody said a word.

Louise tried to make herself as small as possible, tensing, preparing herself for whatever punishment the strange arrivals decided to give.

What she got, however, was a slight chuckle. "Ooh, I like you," the man said, his smile still plastered on his face.

Louise blinked, unsure of what to do in this situation. She had expected him to electrocute her, maybe flog her, but instead, she got an impish smirk and mischief sparkling in his unnatural eyes. And then her mind caught up with what he said. "I…I can understand you…?"

"Yes. Yes, you can," he said, "I find the prospect of trying to track down a protocol droid with the obscure language you speak quite annoying and a needless diversion. Now, let me introduce myself to you properly. I am Lord Juyn Eros of the Sith, and this," he said, gesturing to his scowling companion, "Is my apprentice, Rayne Arren. Tell us, what is your name?"

Louise was not sure whether she should be pleased that the man before her was a lord of some kind, or terrified. He was obviously some form of mage or something, so she decided it was best to act as she had been for the past few weeks. "My name is Louise Françoise of Blanc of the Vallière, milord" she answered obediently.

"Louise Françoise, quite an exotic name," he muttered before pausing briefly. "As I was saying. I am here at the behest of the Dark Council to investigate a disturbance in the Force. A disturbance that seemed to have been caused by a certain pink haired girl."

 _Dark Council?_ Louise thought, suddenly anxious and confused by the prospect of garnering the attention of some ominous sounding council. However, without any way of learning about "What does this council want with me?"

"Answers. They want to know what this disturbance was, how it was caused, and other such questions. So, I've decided to invite you to dinner tonight, around say… six, perhaps? I've discussed this with Commander Bosket and it's been decided that you'll have the day off today; we wouldn't want you falling asleep halfway through dinner, now, would we?"

"I… ah," _What?_ It was at this moment, that Louise realised just how surreal this conversation was, exactly. The two strangers had just waltzed in, said a few things, proceeded to do… something that gave her the ability to understand their strange language – which her mind had, _somehow_ , helpfully supplied as Standard Galactic Basic… whatever that was. And now? She was given a day off and an invitation to dinner. So, in this shocked state, Louise bowed deeply, like the servants at the Vallière manor did whenever Mother or Father ordered them, and said, "I humbly accept your offer, milord."

"Such manners," he exclaimed. "Now, we need to be off. We wish you a good day… Apprentice?" Juyn gave a sidelong glance at his companion.

Rayne inclined her head, her scowl never leaving her face. "Good-day." Louise mentally recoiled. She had been expected the woman to sound cold and bitter for some reason, yet what came out was melodic yet bored, compared to her teacher's voice, which seemed to sound naturally giddily, like he was going to prank someone.

After Rayne's curt goodbye, the two newcomers left the room. Only then, did Louise notice every slave was staring at her as if it had been revealed that she was dying from horrible illness.

But as she went to go ask what was wrong, the loud alarm blared to life, and this time Louise knew it was not a meeting, but that it was time for work. The slaves walked out the room obediently, some throwing fugitive glances back at Louise who stood there stunned. That is, except for Ren, who looked to Louise with worry in his eyes. "Be careful, Louise."

She did not even think, just acted. Her body slammed into Ren, her arms wrapping around the Twi'lek, not wanting to let him go. He returned the hug, his arms hardened by years of work comforting the young girl. But it all ended too soon. "I have to go, Louise," he said, ruffling her hair affectionately as he broke the hug.

Louise knew he needed to go, if he did not, then the guards would surely punish him. But despite this, she did not wish to be alone. "Thank you for helping me, Ren," she said, her eyes starting to water. Ever since day one, Ren had always been there, by her side looking after her and teaching her as best as he could. And now, for the first time, he would be going where she could not follow.

She would prefer to be stuck in the mines than alone in the Barracks for however long it took for it to reach 'six'. But she felt that disobeying Lord Juyn was unwise. She said her goodbyes, watching him leave through the door to the harsh conditions of the mines.

When the door hissed closed, Louise hung her head. The sound of silence seemed all too overbearing. A month ago, she would have been pleased with silence, finding comfort with being alone instead of trapped with her tormentors. But now, she felt vulnerable, scared, and confused.

So much had happened between waking up and the beginning of the day shift, all leaving her with more questions than answers. She needed time to process this all, and with that, she began walking to the other side of the room and entered the washroom.

Article by article, she removed her clothes, starting with her boots, gloves and goggles, then moving on to her shirt, pants and finally her smallclothes.

Once done, she moved into the shower proper and picked a showerhead at random. Pressing the button, Louise jumped back, letting the water spray from the font unobstructed. With her hand, she tested the water, getting used to it before slipping underneath. The water was admittedly little better than lukewarm, but the water pressure felt like a soft little massage against her back. She had wondered how it would feel against her neck, but the ever-present shock collar would not allow it.

Grabbing the nearby bar of soap, she began to wash her body, pleased for the first time that she could bath in the morning instead of the afternoon as she had found herself forced to do. While the communal bar of soap was a bit unhygienic, it was the best they had available, better than not bathing at all, so she made sure to use it sparsely.

As she bathed, she thought about the events that had happened only moments ago, thinking everything over in her mind. She found herself curious as to who, exactly, Juyn and Rayne were. They were nobility, that was for sure; she could see it in their dress, their walk, their presence. They spoke and radiated power.

Louise shivered just thinking about them.

Not only that, but they could do some form of magic. Whatever made their eyes glow and whatever Lord Juyn did to her to allow her to understand and speak the language, it was some kind of magic. That she was sure of.

They were nobles and mages, much like her home, one in the same. But who did they belong to? What kingdom did they serve, what land did they reside, what creed, what order did they ascribe to. She thought of Lord Juyn's introduction… Lord Juyn Eros of the Sith…

The Sith.

For some reason, the very thought of that name sent something shivering down her spine. It was not fear nor excitement, but something unfathomable. Sith. Was it the name of the kingdom or empire she found herself in? Perhaps the land itself? Louise did not know, but she wanted to. The urge to finally get some answers was near overwhelming, but at the same time, fear marred her thoughts. The thought of simply asking the strangers brought painful memories of being punished for perceived faults.

Then a small voice in her mind spoke. _What if they're different?_ It asked, and Louise wished to believe. They had certainly given her the gift of language, ignoring the pain it brought, so it was not too difficult to imagine. She wanted them to be different, to be kind and courteous. She wanted them to free her, to save her from this hel. What's more, she wanted them to send her back home. But the metal attached to her neck reminded to be cautious, to be wary and afraid.

Louise sighed, rubbing her head as it began to ache once again. Quickly, she finished off her shower and got dressed before retiring to her bed. Once she had packed away her boots, gloves and goggles, Louise reclined onto her bed, deciding to spend the day relaxing in preparation for dinner.

…

The sound of the door hissing open, alerting Louise to someone's arrival. The desperate hope that it was Ren with her fellow slaves quickly rose before crashing down upon spotting the interloper.

It was a woman. She was dressed in a similar grey military tunic she met when she first arrived, stood in the doorway. In her arms was a medium sized nondescript package. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for something until they reached Louise who had sat up in her bed. The woman marched forwards, her eyes never veering from Louise until she reached the Pinkette.

Louise, herself, was quite worried yet curious. Raising her eyebrow at the woman, she felt the urge to ask who she was and why she was here, but she quickly squashed the urge, knowing it was unwise to question someone who could have her own the floor screaming.

Thankfully, the woman deigned to answer one of her questions without prompt. "I have a package I was to deliver to you, ma'am," the woman said, holding out the box for Louise to take.

Perplexed by this turn of events, Louise carefully took the package in hand, once again wondering what in the name of the Founder was wrong with today. Slowly, she opened the package, to find a little piece of too white and thin parchment – _Paper_ , her mind supplied – sitting on a carefully folded lump of deep purple fabric.

Louise examined the piece of paper, noticing something written on it in impeccable handwriting. She recognised the symbols, strange letters that had appeared all around the facility, even on her own mining laser. And before today, she never knew what they meant, but as she looked at them now, she could understand what each word and symbol meant as if it were the script from her homeland.

 _'You're welcome,  
\- Lord Juyn'_

It read, plainly and simply.

Looking up, she found the woman still standing there, eyes watching Louise curiously. It was starting to make her uncomfortable if Louise were to be honest. Nevertheless, she placed the card down and returned to the package to figure out what the little message was referring to.

Brushing her hands against the fabric, Louise found it was quality made, not expensive, however. Throwing caution to the wind, she pulled out the lump of fabric, watching it unfold with fascination. She ended up having to lay it along her bed to figure out what it was, exactly. And what it was, surprised her to no end.

It was a dress.

By no means extravagant, like Lord Juyn's robes, it was still well made and, in Louise's humble opinion, quite nice to look at. Looking back into the package, she found herself presented with what looked to be a few hair ties and a hairbrush. She opened her mouth, something – whether an exclamation or a question – on her lips, but nothing came. Her mind reeled at the package's contents, new questions added to the veritable ocean she gained earlier in the morning. One of which was: Where did he get this?

Knowing that her questions were not going to be answered until later, she looked up to the woman, who looked as impassive as stone. After a moment of silence, Louise forced herself to ask, "What is all this for?"

"I am to assist you in getting ready for dinner with Lord Juyn," the woman said.

"Oh…"

A half-hour later when the woman, Lieutenant Meetran as she had introduced, had finished helping Louise clean-up for the upcoming dinner.

It was awkward and tense for Louise, having Meetran fuss about with the Pinkette's appearance. But once the half an hour passed, she found herself thankful for the woman's assistance, despite her fears. Her hair had been brushed back to a semblance of what it once was, and tied into three ponytails, one high-top and two loose side tails that fell behind her ears and down onto her chest.

Aside from her pants and boots, her worker's garb was removed, replaced by the dress she had been given. V-necked with long tight sleeves detailed with militaristic black and grey designs. The bottom half of the dress was cut differently than any she had worn as the daughter of a duke, cut for movement in mind with two slits running up the side, ending roughly around her hips, making pants needed least one wished to show more than they wanted to.

All in all, Louise felt… far more alive than she had since arriving here. Like a breath of fresh air or a weight lifting from her shoulders or whatever idioms she could think of, it was refreshing, to say the least.

"Is it adequate, ma'am?" Meetran asked, her face never veering from impassiveness.

Louise nodded her head absently, still marvelling at her appearance.

"I will inform Lord Juyn of this," the woman continued with a nod. She turned around and began marching to the door, but before she reached it, she stopped. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath then span on her heels to face Louise. "Ma'am, if I may ask, is your hair naturally pink?"

Louise blinked at the question, not having expected such a question.

"Uh… yes…?" she answered, not really knowing how to properly

The woman smirked victoriously, inclined her head then left the Barracks, leaving an extremely confused Louise behind.

Once again, Louise was left alone in the room, waiting for Rayne to arrive.

…

It did not take long.

The door once again hissed open, about an hour or two later, revealing the dressed-up form of Rayne Arren. Despite the strangeness of her red skin, the glowing eyes and facial spikes, Louise thought she looked quite attractive, though the scowl did little favours. She wore a short black dress that looked quite tight against her skin, accentuating her curves and assets. It also happened to show quite a bit of skin with its low-cut neckline and lack of sleeves. Down her forearms were several black stripes that looked like painted arrows pointing towards her hands. Louise supposed it was some form of makeup her people wore.

Rayne seemed to find Louise almost immediately.

"Come on, it is unwise to keep a Sith Lord waiting." Knowing that Rayne was probably right, Louise quickly joined her side. Once there, the woman seemed to appraise her, the knowing glint in her glowing eyes making the Pinkette feel a bit uncomfortable. "Let's go."

With that, the two left the Barracks in silence. It seemed to be late in the afternoon, which meant that the day shift was about to end soon. A cool breeze wafted through the air, feeling quite pleasant against her skin. As they walked, Louise wished to start a conversation, to ask the questions that had been plaguing her since the start of the day, but every time she went to ask the question would die in her throat. Instead, she focused on walking and not making a fool of herself.

Eventually, they entered the building. Inside, it was bland and monotonous, pragmatic, militaristic and simple. Louise did not like the style, but she could appreciate it. The only décor she could see around the hallway were the red banners. The two girls walked through the hallway and up a few staircases, all the while passing several doors, some of which were open revealing what looked to be a bedroom and living room combo. They soon reached what looked to be the top floor, where they were met by a few more doors, one of which seemed to be their goal.

Through one of the door, Louise found herself met by a small room which was quite different than what she would normally associate with the living quarters of a noble. To sum it up, it was small and bare; the only bits of furniture being a dining table – already covered in a small array of foodstuffs – the chairs around it and a banner hanging on a wall. She could understand why it the room was bare, but she was expecting something _more_.

Speaking of the food, Louise could not help but stare at the assortment of food and drink. From what she could tell, there was a delectable stake, pre-cut, and some strange looking vegetables and what looked to be mashed potatoes. As for drinks, there were to available, a small ceramic cup of what looked like tea and a glass of water plus pitcher for refills.

Her mouth watered, her stomach grumbling, demanding to be filled. She froze, blushing profusely. She dares not look to Rayne who she knew was staring at her. Silently she cursed her stomachs poor timing.

A chuckle stole her attention, and lo and behold, Lord Juyn stood in the doorway of one of the branching rooms.

"I should have guessed such meal would have enticed you, especially after weeks of gruel," he said, smirking. Louise did not know what to say. Thankfully, it seemed she need not say a thing. "Before we begin, why don't we dig. Satiate your hunger first."

Louise wholeheartedly agreed. The three took a seat at the table and began to fill their plates. It took every single last bit of her willpower to not start shoving food into her mouth like some starved beast as she carefully filled her plate, making sure not to take too much, and only when Rayne and Juyn began to eat, did she. The taste was like a blessing from the Founder. She savoured each juicy bite of meat, each sip of the sweet tea like it was her last. It certainly did not taste like any food she had eaten in her short life, but nonetheless, it tasted wonderful.

"So, Miss Françoise," Juyn said, breaking the healthy content silence that hung as they ate, "how do you find your meal?"

"It's quite delicious, thank you," she answered, falling back on the etiquette lessons her tutor had taught when she was younger. She took another forkful of steak.

"Good, good." He smiled pleasantly, cutting into his own dish. "So, do you like your robes?"

Louise nodded, finishing off her mouthful before speaking. "Yes, they are quite comfortable."

"Good. I would hate for you to be stuck wearing those other clothes," he said. "They're nice for manual labour, tough and easy to clean, but they are lacking when it comes to other qualities."

She nodded again, absently. She had been curious about her dress, but suddenly, she felt another question bubble in her throat. With this, Louise decided to ask a question that had been bugging her since her arrival. "Why?"

"I apologise, but I'm going to need you to elaborate," Lord Juyn replied.

Louise paused, looking at the quality food on her plate to the dress she had been given. "Why are you treating me like this?"

The Sith considered her words for a moment, then answered. "Two different reasons, really. Firstly, the Dark Council wishes I discover the cause of the disturbance in the Force, which seems to have something to do with you; and secondly, you interest me."

Louise did not know what to think about that. He was interested in her. For some reason, she felt as if it was not a good thing to hold his interest. Nonetheless, she found that now was probably the best time to get some answers. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Who are the Dark Council?"

The room became silent.

Lord Juyn and Rayne looked at each other, both looking quite confused for a moment. Rayne opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it. Louise raised her eyebrow at this, confused as to why such a question would solicit such a response.

Fortunately, Juyn recovered quickly enough, eying Louise curiously. "The Dark Council is the ruling body of the Sith Empire, answerable only to our Emperor… who you know nothing about." Louise shook her head, negative. "What of the Jedi and the Republic?" Once again, she shook her head. "Well, isn't this interesting… Tell me, where are you from?"

"I was born in the Kingdom of Tristain in Halkeginia," Louise asked, a sudden hope blooming in her heart for Juyn or Rayne to recognise the names.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. "I've not heard of a Kingdom of Tristain," he said, stroking his chin, "nor of a system or planet named Halkeginia."

Louise deflated. She should have expected that. After a moment, she decided to correct Juyn's strange assumption. "Halkeginia is not the planet, it's the continent," she said, then added. "We call the planet Alfheim. What do you call the planet?"

"Hmm… what can you tell me about Alfheim?" Juyn asked, utterly ignoring her question. "Do they have spacefaring technology?"

"Spacefaring…?" Louise echoed, her face scrunching up in confusion. Her mind supplied its meaning quickly enough, but its definition was so outlandish, impossible, to be true – sailing through the black starry void above, it was impossible to even conceive. "I… don't understand what you're saying."

Juyn paused, then asked, "Has anyone from your… homeland ever walked on the moon?"

Once again, Louise met his question with confusion and befuddlement. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Nodding at her answer, Juyn continued with his questions. "Louise Françoise, where do you think you are?"

"I don't… know," she said, and truthfully, she had no idea. She did not tend to think much on the lands outside of Halkeginia; she knew of them, of course, knew how they affected her home, but it was not something she focused on. So, with this in mind, she asked, "Are we somewhere near Rub' al Khali, beyond the Easterlands?"

"I am to assume these are countries or lands near Halkeginia?" replied Juyn with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes…" she trailed off, the realisation that she was perhaps further from home making itself known. But despite the sudden sensation of being punched in the gut, Louise pushed on and continued trying to find out anything about this new land she found herself in. "So… if we're not near Halkeginia or Rub' al Khali, where are we?"

Lord Juyn paused for a moment, then, from his belt, he pulled two things from his belt. One was a hand sized thick disk with a concave curve along one side filled with small bumps filling it. The second was a rectangle with a glossy black piece of glass on one side and a few buttons around the edge. He pressed one of the buttons which caused the glass to light up with an image. It was a holoprojector and a datapad, her mind supplied respectively, strange devices that she had seen occasionally. He fiddled with the datapad, pressing a few buttons, the screen changing as he scrolled through the device.

The holoprojector lit up, several grainy and transparent blue orbs manifesting a hands length over the concave surface. One was large, hovering in the centre, with four much smaller ones surrounding it at varying distances. There were a few details on the holograms, different patterns on each orb. Louise also noticed that the smaller orbs seemed to be moving slowly around the larger one.

She had honestly no idea what she was looking at.

Juyn must have noticed as he gestured to the large central orb, "This is Ir, the yellow sun. And this," he pointed to the second orb closest to 'Ir,' "is Ir Elu, which is where we are."

Louise blinked, looking at the strange orbs then back to Juyn, then back to the orbs. She felt like she was missing something. "What does this mean?"

"It means, Louise, that you are not on Alfheim anymore," he said patiently.

Louise eyed Juyn strangely, digesting his words. "Wait…" she said, her mind coming to the only conclusion she could think of, despite its outlandish nature, "are you saying that I'm not actually on my world and that I am on another? That's preposterous!"

"Quite the opposite, actually," Juyn said. "You have all the proof around you. I'm sure you have noticed the difference in moons or even the differences in technology."

"I haven't seen the nights sky since I got here," Louise admitted.

"Well, for the sake of simplicity," Juyn began, "why don't you pretend to believe what I am saying is true, and when you leave you may check yourself."

"If I am on a different world, how could I have gotten here?" she asked, feeling rightfully sceptical. "I'd think I'd remember going to another world."

Juyn smiled. "And this is where our goals align," he said. "I have a feeling whatever caused this disturbance in the Force caused your arrival here… Tell me, do you have the concept of the Force on Alfheim?"

"I don't know what that is…"

"The Force is like…" he stopped, then reworded his question. "Do you have the concept of magic?"

"Yes, we have magic," Louise said with a nod, before quickly amending, "but there is no spell that could teleport someone, definitely not send someone to another world. Even if it could, I couldn't do it…" she continued, feeling ashamed by her admission, "I'm no mage."

Juyn hummed, tapping his chin with his index finger. "What was the last thing you remember before you woke up here?"

"I… don't remember," Louise replied, and truthfully, she didn't. The last thing she remembered was crying in front of everyone on that fateful day of the Summoning. Then, nothing.

"Well, hopefully, we can try and jog your memory…" Juyn said patiently. "But that can wait for later. At the moment, I would like to learn about Alfheim, and in return, I will tell you about the larger galaxy. Seem fair?"

"I guess," she mumbled.

"Good, now let us start with…" What followed was a number of questions directed at several different parts of her homeland, from its technology to its government to the magic and people. Louise answered all to the best of her abilities and was pleased that Juyn stayed away from her personal life, especially concerning her abilities with magic, of which there were none. Rayne was mostly quiet during these questions, only asking a few, but was otherwise content to observe.

Soon, however, Juyn exhausted his supply of questions and allowed Louise to ask her questions about the Sith Empire and the rest of the 'galaxy'. She still did not believe that she was on another world, the idea was too outlandish, but for now, she would pretend for the sake of the conversation, and thankfully, that mindset spared her from a harsh headache that came the more she learned of the 'galaxy' she found herself in. Millions, billions of worlds, just like her own or very much different scattered throughout the black starry void with civilizations populated by trillions. Technology that sounded far too much like magic, built by those without, allowing anyone to fly among the stars or harness the power of nature to create a simulacrum of life. It was far too fantastical to believe, far to fantastical to exist. Louise knew it had to be an exaggeration, yet the nature of these claims hit Louise hard.

Then, she was told of the Sith Empire and the Republic, two galactic superpowers in their own right and enemies until the end. It was a religious war, between the Sith Order and the Jedi Order – the attack dogs for the Republic, mages who sold their free will to the Republic. The Sith preached about power and passion as their core, with those with magic ruling over the masses of magic-less beings, while the Republic allowed corrupt businessmen and politicians to govern, sitting around arguing about laws and how to rule while bribes are passed around in the shadows.

By the end of it, Louise could not help but find herself feel sympathetic to the Sith as the Republic seemed more like an abominable amalgamation of corruption and unnatural ideas of how to run a government. However, despite this, she held no love for the Sith Empire. After all, they had enslaved her, tortured her and made her work herself to exhaustion in the mines. And so, she decided to confront the Sith about this. "But how can you serve an Empire so cruel?" she had asked at one point.

Lord Juyn sighed, leaning back in his chair while Rayne sat, watching the dialogue with interest in her eyes. "I can understand where you are coming from; you wake up in some strange land, lost and confused, only to find out that you've been enslaved by an Empire you know nothing about." He shook his head. "But you were merely a victim of circumstance. Commander Bosket is an effective officer, but dim-witted and inflexible; he found you in the middle of some slate plain, a stranger with no documentation, family, connections or anything of the sort, and decided to put you to work in the mines instead of coming to the Empire for us to deal with. He has been punished for this breach of protocol."

Louise squirmed uncomfortably, her mind conjuring terrible images of what the Commander's punishments might have been. "Does that mean I'll be freed?"

"Unfortunately, no. This is out of my jurisdiction and in the hands of the owner of this mining colony. If I were to take you now, it would lead to issues between my Sphere of Influence and the Sphere of Influence which rules over this colony," said Juyn, sounding the least bit apologetic. "But, there is something I can do. From what I've seen, Commander has a poor understanding of how to properly treat its workers. The Sith Empire believes firmly in rewarding loyalty and punishing dissent; as long as you do not cause any issue, the guards will be more tolerable. Should you or any other slave find yourselves wrongfully punished, I will deal with them. Not only that, but this installation has been _lacking_ in proper funding, we will be improving several other things around here."

This did not answer Louise's question, so she pressed forwards, an ugly knot forming in her gut. "But why would your Empire have such a barbaric practice as slavery? Why would you do this?"

"I shall answer your question with another question," Juyn said, before asking. "How could you say slavery is evil when your own people own slaves?"

Louise crossed her arms, glaring at the Sith. "We don't have slaves, it has been outlawed centuries ago!"

"But you have serfs, do you not?" he replied innocently.

"They're not slaves," Louise said.

Juyn nodded as if agreeing with her but continued anyone. "Serfs are not owned by nobility, but they work the land for their lords, correct?"

"Yes, and the lord looks after them in turn."

"And when a lord sells the land to another lord, what happens then?" asked Juyn, smirking as if he had already won the argument.

"The serf then works for that lord," she answered truthfully, suddenly feeling like she had made a mistake.

Juyn's smirk became sharper. "So, serfs and the land they work on are intertwined; the fate of the land reflecting the fate of the serf. To me, the line between serfdom and slavery are blurred so much that the only difference I can see is that one is called serfdom and the other is called slavery."

"That's not true," she retorted, felling infuriated that she had to argue about this. "serfs can leave if they wish and they are not treated, treated like… this." She gestured to the shock collar upon her neck.

"Are you sure about that?" the Sith pressed, still smirking in that annoying way. "If a serf was ordered by their lord to work not as a farmer or construction worker but as their personal maid, would they be forced to oblige?"

"No, they have a choice," she said adamantly.

"Do they, really?" he asked. "In the Empire, people abuse their power, such as Commander Bosket with you, but could you say differently for your own people? Have there never been reports of nobility abusing those under them? Have you never thought about the commoners who serve you, how they might have had dreams of a better life, yet have to serve your every whim because they cannot deny their lords? If you can say that your nobility doesn't abuse their power, then I will concede, but if you cannot say that, then my point stands." Louise wanted to answer, to tell him that there were laws that stopped nobles from abusing their servants, but she knew that, even with the law, abuse was still there. Many a time she had heard Mother and Father talk about the latest rumours about other nobles and their questionable actions towards those under them, whether they be from Tristain or other countries. "You can't, can you?"

"It's just… wrong." It was the most she could articulate, the most she could say and she felt sick that she could not say anymore.

Juyn tilted his head, questioningly. "Why? Would you prefer them begging for coin on the streets, with no food or a roof above their heads? We are not the Republic who would pretend to care while people starve and suffer. As slaves, they are given clothes, shelter, and food. Some are even literate and learned. Not only that but in some cases, a slave's loyalty can be rewarded with freedom, allowing them to rejoin society as full Imperial citizens."

"If they survive that long, that is," she grumbled.

"Don't let the condition of this mine fool you," Juyn said dismissively. "While there are slaves who work in the mines or in construction, there are a fair amount who work as maids, nannies, and butlers; servants who look after the estates of their owners. Others work side by side with their owners, acting as a second pair of hands."

Louise remained unconvinced, yet she did not wish to continue arguing about such things. She had no idea how much time had passed, but she knew that it must have been late into the night. So, after a few more reluctant questions form the Pinkette, she decided that it was time to end the night. "I thank you for dinner, milord."

"Yes, it was quiet… illuminating. I have sent for Lieutenant Meetran to escort you back, I hope you do not mind."

Louise did not mind and wished to just go to bed. Meetran arrived quickly enough and soon, the two had left the building, on their way back to the Barracks.

During the walk, she remembered what Juyn had said and found her eyes looking at the dark night sky. She expected to see the twin moons hanging up in the sky, surrounded by a sea of stars, but instead, they seemed to be replaced by four small white orbs glowing dimly overhead. The realisation was like a massive crushing weight had just been dropped on her shoulders, weighing her down.

Lieutenant Meetran looked to Louise, her expression impassive. "Ma'am, it would be best if we got a move on."

Louise nodded absently, not really knowing what to say or do. There, in the sky, was proof of everything Lord Juyn had said, of massive Empires that spanned inconceivable distances, of billions of worlds and thousands of alien creatures. They continued to the Barracks, eventually passing through the two electric doors to the living area of the slaves. Meetran quickly excused herself, leaving a shell-shocked Louise to gaze vacantly at her fellow slaves, her new understanding of the world, galaxy, plaguing her mind.

Ren came to her side almost immediately, worry and confusion etched in his alien features. He was speaking, that much she knew, asking her about what happened and what she was wearing, but she could not bring herself to respond or care. Her eyes did not meet his, looking past him towards the other slaves, who she could not help but notice were looking at her strangely.


	4. (IV) New Beginnings

**Chapter 4 – New Beginnings**

Seventy days had passed since Louise was invited to dinner by Lord Juyn and much had changed since then. The revelation that she was much further from home hit hard at her, yet she could do little about it other than work. It was a worthy distraction, yet even work seemed affected by the strange newcomers.

Other changes came soon after. At first, she never really noticed the change, but when she did, Louise did not know whether to be pleased or suspicious. The guards seem far more forgiving when the strain of working became too much for the slaves, and food quality improved are a few of the changes that affected the slaves. Meanwhile, due to the nature of her job, she found Lord Juyn and his apprentice scarce sights around the facility; only occasionally would she see one of them walking around, doing _something_.

Then, out of the blue, Lieutenant Meetran arrived at the Barracks three weeks later. In her metaphorical hands, she held an invitation for Louise to dine with the Sith Lords. When she received this, the Pinkette was understandably shocked, but otherwise accepted; not that she felt she had much of a choice. Unlike last time, however, she only got half the day off instead of the full day. Louise was fine with this. Aside from that, it passed much like the dinner before with a nice little meal followed by a discussion about either her homeworld, the Sith Empire or anything else in the galactic community. It was informational, to say the least, with questions being sent back and forth regularly.

Between then and the seventieth day, she dined five other dinners with the Sith. Aside from these dinners, she and the other slaves had also been given two days off to celebrate the New Year's, roughly two weeks after the first dinner. To be honest, Louise had never seen so many relieved if suspicious faces in one room, dining on actual food instead of gruel.

Now, fifty days since the New Year's, Louise stood, towel in hand, drying the beads of water from her body. While her body dried, her hair remained stubbornly damp, but as a slave, it wasn't much of an issue. She folded the towel back over the handrails and began getting dressed for the day. The usual combo of shirt and pants quickly covered her form before the boots, gloves and goggles were slipped on. With that, she was ready for the day.

After exiting the washroom, she looked around to find her orange friend. She found him soon enough, sitting down and speaking to one of the slaves on the other end of the room. Louise smiled and made her way towards him, wanting to talk to him abo-

 _Why am I on the floor?_ A loud ringing sound assaulted her ears, she felt battered and bruised, her vision swimming. Sluggishly, she set herself upright, her eyes drifting every which way, trying to regain her bearings on what was happening. Smoke and dust obscured her vision like a thin veil, wafting in the wind and given an unearthly glow from sunlight beaming through the massive gaping maw-like hole in part of the wall and ceiling. Rubble and debris lay strewn about, broken beds and bits of buildings scattered. Nearby, she could see a few slaves, some cowering, some struggling to stand and others laying still.

She tried to stand but found her legs weak, unable to support her weight until two familiar arms wrapped around her, holding her up. Looking up, she found Ren looking down at her. He was bleeding from a large gash atop his head with several other cuts and scrapes adorning his head tentacles – his lekku – and his arms.

He was saying something. _What_? She could not understand. The ringing still persisted in her ear, his voice but a muffled drone in her ear – A distant thumping, like the din of rain upon a roof, at the edge of her hearing making it near impossible for her to decipher her friend's speech. He began looking around the room, his eyes alight with fear. He tugged on her, pulling her further away from the gaping maw, speaking more and more frantically. But this time, his voice clearer, though still intelligible.

Confusion and fear gripped her heart.

 _Are we under attack_!?

Her answer came soon enough.

Hanging from something unseen, four lengths of rope dropped through the hole in the ceiling. Down these ropes fell four unknown beings.

The first was female if she were to guess. Tan leathery skin wrapped around its humanoid form, making her look gaunt with dark sunken eyes. A Weequay. She wore a loose grey tunic, tucked haphazardly into brown breeches. Covering these articles was a naval coat, coloured a beaten and battered burgundy that spoke of years of wear and tear. A long ashen braid trailed behind her, though this was all the hair Louise could see as the alien's head was capped by a tricorn hat. In her hand, she held a blaster pistol, different in make to the ones she had seen sported by some Imperials. By her side hung a sword.

Two other Weequays made up the other three, one male, one female, with the remaining being a male human. They were all dressed and armed similarly, though without the tricorn or coat.

Just from their dress, Louise could guess who they were. Pirates. The Imperial tunics and Sith dress might have been an odd sight to her, but she could recognise the look of a pirate even if the only experience was from her tutors or the trashy romance novels Cattleya hid under her bed.

"Find the girl!" the Weequay in the tricorn, their leader, shouted. "Kill the rest."

In an instant, Louise's blood ran cold, and in the next, all hell broke loose. Flashes of red lit up the Barracks, accompanied by the screams of terror and pain.

Strong arms yanked on hers, pulling her back, but all Louise could do was stare in abject horror as the pirates began systematically culling the slaves – Bolts of red blinking in and out of existence at random, striking slaves leaving behind horrific burns.

Pain exploded against her cheek. Louise snapped her head to Ren, who forced her to stare at him and nowhere else. "We need to hide!" he hissed.

Louise nodded absently, too shocked to do anything else. With a firm grip on her, Ren led the Pinkette deeper into the Barracks, all the way up to the washroom door. Behind her, slaves screamed, some begging for mercy only to get gunned down, less taking the fight to the pirates. They died too, only the Wookie managing to kill one pirate before he was gutted by the pirate leader.

When they passed through the door, Ren was quick to shut it, pulling her deeper into the washroom until they reached the furthest point away from the main room. Yet, despite this, Louise continued to hear the screams as if it was happening inches from her face; she could even smell the burnt flesh, charred by plasma. She wanted to vomit. Tears fell freely from her eyes. Her body ached from her injuries. She could not handle this. Everything was falling apart around her. She was going to die, and she could do nothing about it.

Ren wrapped his arms around Louise once again, protecting, comforting. She cried into his embrace, ugly sobs tearing from her throat. Ren did his best to try and calm her down, stroking her hair and whispering words of hope in her ear. "Don't worry, it'll all be alright, _mi_ _Ayy_. I'll protect you… I won't let them hurt you."

Louise desperately wanted to believe him, she wanted this all to end. She had lost everything; her family, her home, and now she was losing her friends, people she cared for, and her life was next. Silently, in fear of the pirates hearing her, she prayed, to Brimir above, to the Gods, and even to Lord Juyn's 'Force' to help her, to protect her. She begged, pleaded for anyone, anything to help her and Ren.

But it was not meant to be.

The washroom door slid open and in sauntered the pirate leader. "There you are," she smirked, eying Louise greedily, crooked teeth showing.

Ren moved in an instant, eyes wild and dangerous. "Stay away from her!" he screamed, ripping himself from Louise to ponce upon the pirate like a crazed animal.

Caught off guard, the Weequay could only struggle against Ren's strength. They tumbled to the ground, both throwing punches, spitting curses. Ren was like a man possessed. He clawed, bit and hit, using everything at his disposal to kill the threat, but the pirate gave as good as she got, landing a few good punches and even managing to fling Ren off.

"Filthy creature," the Weequay spat, just as Ren readied himself to attack once more.

He charged, ready to knock her down once again, but she met him straight on, his body colliding in hers. But instead of falling to the floor like before, Ren stiffened, a sickening gurgling sound escaping his throat before the Weequay threw him off her. He crashed to the ground, a knife buried in his neck, blood oozing from his grievous wound as the last traces of life ebbed away.

Death.

It was something of an alien concept to her. Yes, she had heard of those who died, servants who killed pests, her father who hunted game out in the forests on the Vallière lands. But the death of someone she cared about? No. She had never happened before, and certainly not in such a way.

And it was all her fault.

She should have done something. She should have helped Ren, she should have saved him. But she was so scared. So weak. So pathetic. Useless. Zero. She sat by, terrified, while Ren, her friend, her teacher, her carer, the one who was with her since the start of this nightmare, the one who tried his best to keep her happy, the one who… who acted like a father to her, as he tried to defend her. To save her.

 _And that **thing** took him away._

Rage.

Like a blazing knife stabbed into her gut, it bloomed. Searing, burning white-hot within her core, spreading like wildfire through her veins, down her legs and up her arms, clouding her mind with just one goal in mind.

 _Kill._

With a scream that spoke of weeks, months of repressed pain, anger and hatred, she flung her hands forwards. And as if her pain was made manifest, lances of purple-hued lightning erupted from her gloved fingertips, burning the material away as it escaped. The Weequay was ripped from her feet and slammed into the door of the washroom. The flimsy door buckled under an unseen pressure before exploding outwards in a shower of debris.

Surprised shouts and yells, drew her attention, and there standing among the fallen bodies of her fellow slaves, were the rest of the pirates.

 _Kill!_

A deep and animalistic growl tore through her throat and suddenly, she found herself tacking one of the men to the ground, her fist slamming into his face, relishing in the sounds of breaking bone. Her left hand, reached grasping for his sword. The second her hand wrapped around the hilt, a new sensation filled her veins, mixing with the white-hot rage. But before she could do a thing, a fist slammed into her face, again and again, and again. Yet Louise felt nothing but her rage festering further. She tore the vibroblade from the man's grasp and without a second thought, she plunged deep within the man's gut, relishing in the pain and horror in his eyes as the ultrasonic blade ravaged him.

She saw a flash, the burning light of a blaster shot biting deep into her arm, but she felt no pain, the blazing fire that was her anger swallowing any other feeling.

Snapping her head to the source of the discomfort, she saw another pirate wielding a pistol in one hand and a blade in the other. Moving on instinct alone she threw herself at the man just in time to see the bolt flashed past, missing her head by a hair's breadth.

The second her feet hit solid ground, Louise shot her hands out once more, feeling the white-hot rage swell within her fingertips once more. Lightning erupted from her hands, slamming into the man's chest before flinging him off his feet and out the massive hole in the wall and ceiling. Without thinking, just acting, Louise leapt after him, her legs launching her from the floor, high into the air and out of the Barracks. Landing, she curled herself into a ball, dissipating her momentum into a roll, stopping before her foe.

The pirate was broken before her, fear evident in his eyes.

Louise rushed at him, crushing his arm before plunging her sword it into his chest, through his ribs and into his heart, silencing his cries of pain.

But the bloodshed was far from over. The sounds of battle surrounded her, blaster fire slipping back and forth from one side to the other with two clearly divided sides struggling for dominance.

A whisper, far at the edge of her hearing, yet sounding so close, spoke in her ear. _Move_. It said, and Louise obeyed. Leaping out the way just in time as a blue ring of energy flew past where she once stood.

The rage that had stilled within her exploded back to life like a furious fire demanding bloody retribution. Answering its call, Louise rushed at those who'd dared to attack her, her legs carrying her faster than she had ever run before. They tried to take her down with more rings of blue energy, but it was as if Louise could see their attacks before they fired. Her body moved on its own, dodging, weaving, and ducking under the bolts of fire.

Fear racked through her attackers' bodies as she neared, the blue rings replaced by crimson spears. Slamming into the closest pirate, she quickly gutted them with her vibrosword, spilling entrails onto the floor, before moving onto her next foe who was beheaded by a swing of her sword.

Another slash, but this time her blade didn't meet flesh, clashing with an enemy sword. As the hum of the blades escalated into a pitch, Louise realized that she knew what she had to do, how she had to move, how she had to fight. She managed to deflect his blade, parrying his attack before bringing her blade up to end him with a slice to the neck, but before she could deal the final blow, the whisper once again called to her, telling her to move.

Just in time, she managed to move out of the way from three consecutive bolts of plasma, however, this proved to only be a distraction as in the corner of her eye, she saw the swordsman renewing his attack. The blade slid past her defences, nicking her thigh. Yet the vibrating blade did not just leave a cut, but opened a gaping wound that bled profusely. She didn't care, her enemy was before her and he'd die, there was no other way this would end.

Using strength she didn't know she had, she batted the sword out of the way and stab into his exposed throat. In a fluid movement, she pulled the sword free and readied to attack the marksman.

Her body recoiled as a crimson bolt struck her shoulder. Brief surprise quickly morphed into boiling rage as she called upon her rage-lightning once again. Shooting her hand out, lightning arched, slamming into the marksman and pinning him against a wall. She pulled her arm back, and as if she were holding him with an invisible force, he was pulled from the wall, levitating, before slamming back into the wall again, and again, until the wall bent and split open.

Nothing was left but a broken form smeared red before her.

She crossed through the new opening, finding a new group of pirates and a floor covered by bodies wearing slave-collars.

Louise's growled, her teeth clenched as she readied herself to rip the pirates apart, but before she could move, two figures fell through the gaping hole in the ceiling.

Landing on their feet, Juyn and Rayne brandished their strange sword hilts, blood-red blades protruding from the ends, and almost immediately, all the pirate's attention was focused on the Sith. Their blasters unleashed a storm of fire directed at the Sith, only for it to be deflected by the Siths' ruby blades. While briefly shocked by their sudden appearance, Louise quickly began using this distraction to her advantage, bringing her vibroblade to bare as she danced between panicked pirates, her blade making quick work. Some had given up on fighting and tried cowering or hiding, not that it stopped Louise from enacting bloody justice.

A shockwave of invisible energy blasted throughout the room, throwing Louise from her feet, but unlike the pirates, she managed to recover quickly, just in time to see the Sith begin cutting the pirates down. She joined them.

She cut and stabbed, and in just a moment only Juyn, Rayne and Louise remained standing amongst the corpses.

But it was not over, not yet, it wasn't enough. She could feel the slaves, those she had called friends, dying around her, their cries of pain ringing in her ears as if she was there.

"Louise, it would be best for you to go to the Imperial's and get medical assistance. We'll take care of the rest." Louise's head snapped towards the source of the voice. It was Juyn.

"No," she replied.

"I must implore you to stop and focus on yourself for now." Louise ignored Juyn and began walking to her makeshift entrance out into the settlement to find more pirates to kill. Before she could walk past the threshold, her body froze up.

An invisible force had gripped her, leaving her unable to move an inch as she was slowly turned to face Juyn who held one hand out to her, palm facing forwards. "Louise stop, you've done enough," he commanded, steel in his tone.

Her blood boiled at the seeming betrayal. "Let me go!" She shouted, her anger briefly loosening the invisible grip he held on her.

"No! If you continue you'll die!" Juyn cried, forcing Louise down to the ground.

"They killed him," she growled, glaring up at the Sith Lord unafraid. "They killed Ren! Je tuerai jusqu'au dernier de ces bâtards!" she cried.

"I will not let you die today, Louise," he hissed, making a grasping motion towards the vibroblade in her hand.

The vibrosword was ripped from her hands and thrown away from her, and immediately, Louise's body felt as if it had been set alight. Pain racked through every inch of her, her nose screaming in pain, hands burned and the various other wounds crying out.

It only lasted for about a second, but that second seemed to stretch on for hours. Unable to withstand the ungodly amount of pain, she quickly fell into blissful unconsciousness.

When Louise stirred from her sleep, the first thing she first noticed that the bed was feeling much more comfortable than it had ever felt, so much so she felt a bit tempted to sleep in for a bit. However, her sense of self-preservation forced her up. The second thing she noticed, was that the room was far too quiet, which unnerved her as she pulled herself up. And finally, the last thing she noticed froze her where she sat.

She was not in her bed, that was for sure. She was not even in the Barracks, though she could not have blamed herself for thinking it was if she squinted. The room was long and rectangular with eight single beds sat against the walls, four on each side, covered in pleasant white sheets. On one end, was shelving and a desk with one of the strange mechanical contraptions they called 'computers' sitting on the desktop. A door sat further along. On the other side of the room were three large tanks made of a mixture of transparisteel – a form of durable glass – and technology, each filled with a turquoise liquid. Kolto Tanks, she knew them to be called. Apparently, it was what the galaxy at large substituted for the healing magic of water mages.

Overall, the room felt… sterile, to Louise. The artificial lights bright and intense illuminating the room with a white glow. It also smelled off, like an alchemist lab or the medical wing of the Academy of Magic she could scarcely remember.

Though, it appeared she was not alone in this room as two other beds were occupied. Whether they be slave or Imperial, Louise did not know for she did not recognise them, but from the gauze that was stuck over one of the occupant's eyes, she knew they must have been injured. With this, she concluded that she was, in fact, in some form of medical wing. However, this conclusion brought with it many questions, one of which was-

Louise recoiled, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes as the memories of a day since past flooded her mind: The smell of smoke, so strong, so suffocating. The destruction, rubble littering the floors, walls destroyed and beds nothing but debris. Then the pirates, their blasters raining pain and death. Ren's comforting arms, wrapping around her, protecting… _Mi Ayy_ … Blood. Bleeding. Ren dying before her eyes. He died trying to protect her. He died and she did nothing.

Her skin was pale, white as the sheets that covered her. Sobs racked her body as these memories burned into her mind. The screams of dying slaves, the stench of blood and burnt flesh, and the distant thump of explosions.

Then the rage, pure all-consuming rage, like a purifying flame burning away all it touched. It was power.

 _Power_.

The room felt as if it had dropped twenty degrees. She remembered the power. The strange force that manifested as lightning from her fingertips to leaping far distances and fighting with inhuman strength. She also remembered the horror etched on the pirate's faces as she gutted them, spilling entrails and staining the duracrete with blood.

She killed. She had murdered them, brutally. She tore them apart, let them choke on their own blood or bled them dry. Louise looked at her hands which shook from her horror. She could feel still feel the vibroblade in hand, the groves of its hilt pressed tightly into the flesh of her palm. Blood stains, a deep red, splattered over small charred holes that bore into her fingers.

Vomit swelled in her throat, threatening to cover the pristine white sheets.

The hiss of the automatic doors caused Louise to jolt in surprise. Quickly wiping her tears away, she snapped her head towards the interloper. Lord Juyn stood, dressed as impeccably as ever in his robes. Upon seeing her, he walked in, smiling broadly. "Ah, I am glad to see you awake," he said, gesticulating as he spoke. "You gave us quite the fright, it's been four days since the attack and some thought you wouldn't make it in light of your grievous injuries."

She sat silently, mouth agape as she stared at him. Her head snapped back to her shaking hands, only to find them clean of blood, the only blemish being the immaculately carved runes that adorned the back of her left hand. Louise shook her head, holding back a shiver as she regarded Juyn's last comment. She remembered getting shot, getting cut, bleeding profusely. She remembered the pain, the agonising pain that racked through her body before blackness overtook her. "Wha…" she paused her throat aching, and took a second to composing herself. "what happened, my lord?"

While she was asking for elaboration as to what happened after the battle, it seemed Juyn had mistaken her words and so instead he explained from the beginning.

"We were attacked by a contingent of the outlaw population of the galaxy," Juyn said slowly, looking at Louise oddly. "Murderers, rapists, scoundrels. From what we could gather from some of the pirates we managed to take prisoner, they were searching for someone who apparently had quite the price on their head."

Louise dreaded to ask who they were looking for, the voice of the Weequay shouting for her underlings to search for someone ringing like a death knell in her ear, but she asked regardless. "Who were they looking for."

"You."

The word was like a punch to the gut. The pirates were after her. They killed to get her. Ren died because of her. It was all her fault. Everything was her fault. "Me? I… what? Why?" she asked horrified.

"It seems that someone was paying quite a bit of money for you," he replied, seemingly unfazed by her horror. "I have no idea who, however, I do know that they would not have had your best interest at heart if they decided to take this course of action."

Silence prevailed over the medical wing, Louise not knowing what to say, how to continue, and Juyn allowing her to recover before continuing. When she did compose herself, her mind was focused on one thing. "What about the other slaves?"

At this, Juyn smiled a bit and Louise felt bittersweet relief upon learning why. "I think you might be pleased to know that little under half of the slaves made up the casualties," he said. "Half were still at the mines when the attack happened and so, they were safe from the pirates, and we've found quite a few survivors in the Barracks. It would have been a lot worse without your assistance."

And like dust in the wind, her relief vanished. "I… I killed them."

"Yes, and?" Juyn replied completely unfazed by Louise's admission.

Louise gaped. The casual way he took death, murder was inhuman. "I butchered them!" She slid her legs off the side of her bed to better face Juyn as her grief mixed with anger as she spoke. "Murdered them! And, and, I enjoyed it!"

The Sith continued to act unperturbed by her distress. "Yes, you did, but tell me, did they not do the same to Ren, to the other slaves?" he retorted, calmly defending her actions. "They came here with orders to kidnap you and cull the slaves and they carried out these orders without a second thought. Had another been the target, they would have gunned you down the second they saw you. You defend yourself and you defended the other slaves."

Louise wanted to argue, that killing was wrong, that the visceral brutality she committed was a sin against the Founder Above, but the words could not voice it. Once again, she knew him to be right. More would have died, more would have suffered had she done nothing. Not only that, but the fate that would have befallen her was not something she wanted to think on.

"However," Juyn continued, "I am not here to discuss whether killing the pirates was good or not, though it undoubtedly was." The look in his eye told Louise in no uncertain terms that the argument was over and that it would be unwise to press the point. "I am actually here to discuss the power you used during the battle."

"Magic?"

Juyn quirked his lips as if he had found her comment mildly amusing. "To the primitive, it might have seemed like magic, but the Force is anything but."

Louise continued looking at Juyn, searching his face for any sign that he was jesting.

The Force was a subject that had occasionally showcased during their dinners. At first, she thought it was just a strange way to refer to magic, but as she learned it was apparently so much more than simple magic. Unlike the magic of her homeland which originated within the mage, the Force was more akin to how the heathen Elves performed their frightening feats of power by making contracts with spirits to do their bidding. However, instead of Force users making contracts with multiple spirits it was only one and instead of making contracts, they simply used it. She was not even sure the 'Force' could be considered a spirit with how he described it; an entity created by all living things within the galaxy that encompassed and penetrated all, binding everything together like some complicated spiders web.

But for her to use such a power? That should have been impossible without training, not even to make a mention of how _she_ was able to use such a power. Yet, as she looked into the eyes of Lord Juyn, she knew that he was serious, that she had somehow used their strange not-magic. "You're telling me that I used the Force?"

"Yes, even now, can you feel it?" Juyn asked reverently. "Even in this very room, on this very planet, the Force flows. Close your eyes and stretch out your senses, feel the Force ebb and flow in the cosmos," he continued, closing his own eyes, smiling as if basking in the sun on a pleasant day.

Louise did not understand what he was asking of her, but obeyed anyway despite how stupid she felt. Closing her eyes, she tried to stretch out with her senses, whatever that meant. The room was quiet, the sounds of breathing the only thing that she could hear. In and out, in and out, methodically. She tried to tune the breathing out, to try and focus on whatever it was that Lord Juyn wanted. It took a moment, but soon, she noticed it. It was like something tingling at the edge of her mind. She drew near, curious, and then… it was as if she had been blind and now could see it all.

It… it… it was indescribable. As if she could feel the entire planet, the universe. Then came the voices, anguished and suffering, crying out, screaming in her ears.

 _Pain_.

Stabbing into his brain with a searing blade. All the misery and grief of the planet cascaded down on her like a waterfall. Louise grasped her head, trying to block out the noise assaulting her. She tried to run, to get away from what once was just a tingle in her mind, but it was all so disorientating. "The planet!" Louise cried. "I feel pain. The screaming. Please, make it stop!"

She felt strong arms grasp her shoulders. "No, Louise, listen to it all. Don't shut it out. Embrace all the pain and suffering and become stronger for it. Let it fuel you, let it burn under your skin."

Without any other options, she obeyed the Sith Lord.

She pushed through the pained screams, the suffering she felt, and endured. Time passed and soon, the waterfall became little more than a dribble. The pain left. No longer overwhelmed, everything seemed far clearer. She could feel it properly now. She set herself upright, her mouth slightly agape. This was the Force. It was power. Pure and mighty, unbridled. She felt as if she were in the presence of a god. It was magnificent, beautiful, and utterly terrifying. Burning bright and hot, like a fire waiting to explode.

And it was _hers_.

Louise's eyes snapped open, gasping for air, her hands shaking from shock. It took a moment to compose herself, but once she did, she looked back up to Lord Juyn who stood smiling brightly at her.

"That is the Force," Juyn said to Louise and she believed him.

Yet questions still came to mind, questions she felt compelled to ask. "But how? How could I have used the Force?"

"That is a question me and my apprentice have been pondering for some time," Juyn said. "When you first arrived here, Commander Bosket took a sample of your blood taken and what he found was… odd. You, my dear girl, had the lowest count of Midi-Chlorians that I have ever seen. I doubt that means much to you, so I will quickly explain the concept of Midi-Chlorians to you.'

"The short explanation is that they're a form of bacterial parasite, thriving in the blood cells of those strong in the Force. The lower your count, it is assumed you will be weak in the Force; the higher your count, the stronger you are assumed to be in the Force. It is not a system set in stone and mostly useful to those Blind to the Force as many things can affect your count from certain drugs to your own body being hazardous to the parasites.'

"At first, we thought it was the latter, but upon retesting your blood, we've found that you now have quite the number of bacterium swimming in your blood. Roughly nineteen-thousand per blood cell."

Louise did not know what those numbers mean. In fact, she was unnerved by the fact that roughly nineteen-thousand parasites lived in her blood, apparently more, but from the look on Juyn's face, this was apparently a good thing. Then again, he thought slavery was a good idea, so she was not at all placated by him.

"What does that mean for me, my lord?" she asked confused.

He smiled, clasping his hands together excitedly. "It means, Louise, that you now stand at a crossroads," Juyn continued. "The Force is the road to power, that much you have seen, but you've only scratched the surface of this gift. You need to cultivate it. I am offering you a place at the Sith Academy of Korriban where you can learn to unleash your potential. You would be freed from slavery, given a place within our Empire as a citizen. Your life here and any life you had before will end and you will be trained in the ways of the Dark Side."

Louise looked up wide-eyed to Juyn who stood impassively, waiting for her reply. Her heart pounded, from both touching the Force before and Juyn's offer. She could hardly believe it. Not only would she be freed from the hellhole she lived in for months, but also offered a place to learn to use her new-found powers. It was amazing. She would have thought this was a dream, but she doubted her mind could have conjured such a fantasy.

She honestly felt a bubble of excitement well within her. She had power. All her life she had been told her useless she was, a failure, and now, here she was, being told she had power that none from Halkeginia ever had wielded. Not even her mother, the legendary Karin the Heavy Wind, had the power she did.

Her mother… she would be giving her up for this. She would be giving up her family, her country for this opportunity. Louise had no idea what to think of this. They were far away, somewhere in the impossibly large galaxy.

 _What are they doing? Are they worried for me? Do they think me dea-_ Louise stopped that line of thought. _I can't think on this now_.

No matter what, she still loved her family; her mother, her father, and her sisters. And deep down, she knew they loved her dearly as well. But, she might never see them again, and to pass up freedom and such an opportunity…

Taking a deep breath, Louise bowed her head towards Lord Juyn and said, "I accept your offer, my lord."

Juyn smirked once again, but it was quickly replaced with complete seriousness. "I must warn you, the way of the Sith is not for the weak," he began ominously. "Four days ago, you proved you had strength when you cut down those pirates. You must be ready to do such again; those that falter will be… left behind."

Uncertainty filled Louise's mind at the Sith's proclamation, but she steeled herself. She would not be left behind again. She would not be 'the Zero' any longer. She would not be a slave any longer. She had potential and power, and she would not let it go. "I will not falter."

Juyn hummed, whether impressed by her conviction or not, Louise did not know. "Those not born into the Empire sometimes choose to take up new names for themselves, to rid themselves of their past and be reborn anew," he said eventually, surprising the Pinkette. "What of you?"

Louise lowered her head in thought. To go by another name, to replace her identity with another… it made her uncomfortable. She did not want to be a new person, to walk with an alien name, but… she had already given up her name, her place as a Vallière, by accepting his offer.

This new life would give her strength, power, everything she dreamed of, and if she was going to accept his offer and join the Sith, she wanted to go all the way.

"I am Louise… Louise of the Sith."

It had been twelve days since the pirate attack, twelve since Ren died, twelve since her life was flipped upside-down once again, and since then, much had changed. Quite promptly, she had been moved from the Barracks – which were being scrapped for parts to rebuild – and moved into the residential building where Lord Juyn and Rayne stayed. She had been given her own room, her own bed. It was by no means fit for nobility, but it was far superior to the bed she slept on as a slave. The only issue she had was the loneliness she felt when she slept for the first night, but it soon became apparent this was a boon as nobody would be there to hear her scream in her sleep. Crying out for Ren.

Once settled in, her training began almost immediately. In the beginning, it was simple things such as Sith Philosophy. The subject of philosophy was intriguing. Passion was the quintessence of the Sith belief with a focus on freedom of emotions and strength as keys to the ultimate goal of the Sith, freedom. It was interesting to say the least, an Empire so similar yet different to her own.

 _Mother would certainly rule over Tristain if Halkeginia held the same views as the Sith Empire_. Louise had mused during the early days of her training.

Lord Juyn did, however, emphasised control, that the lack of self-control led to the downfall of many a Sith Lords. Those shown to be so weak to allow their emotions to control them were usually dealt with as they were considered a threat to the Empire's wellbeing. The Sith were ruthless.

He had also instructed her in the basics of meditation, instructing her in the correct posture and seating position. He told her focus was key, to focus on her emotions, to stoke the flames of passion. It was awkward; she fidgeted, unable to focus and her legs would hurt under her weight. Nevertheless, Juyn was confident that she was merely unused to doing such and would soon be able to meditate for hours, sharpening her mind and invigorating herself. Wanting to do her best, Louise made sure that whenever she had free time, she would try and meditate for as long as she could.

However, things soon took a turn for the difficult as soon as her training took on a more physical twist. At first, Juyn wanted to see what she could do just from memory.

"Focus, Louise," he had said, standing before her as she sat on the ground, legs tucked underneath her. "You've already tasted the power of the Dark Side. It's a powerful ally. You must use it. Its power comes from passion and through passion, you will gain strength. Remember when the pirates attacked, remember what you felt when you fought and try to recreate it."

Louise bowed her head, obeying her commands. Remembering what the Sith had said about the ominous-sounding side of the Force, she took a deep breath and thought back to that day. The explosion, the pirates, the fire and death. She remembered the feeling in her gut, that burning fire that burned with iridescent rage.

It was like a switch had been flicked in her mind and suddenly, she knew exactly what to do. Her emotions gave her strength, her anger, her hate and rage, and she still had much aimed at the pirates. Focusing on these emotions she let it fester and boil within her gut. The Force reacted, its ebbs; its flows moving around and through her, becoming darker and hotter within.

She willed it up her arms, through to her hands and fingertips. Pressure built, the Force seemingly resisting her. Louise would not allow such a thing to impede her. Juyn had said that she would find resistance, and so she pressed on, imposing her will upon the Force, commanding it to obey.

The sound of sharp crackling filled the room, surprising the Pinkette. Her eyes flickered open to see the formerly dim room lit with a purple hue as lightning arched between her fingers, sparkling beautifully.

For the first time, Louise could not help but smile brightly. It seemed things were looking up for her.

However, Louise knew it was but a shadow of what she had performed on that fateful day. Juyn had pointed it out as well and had even given a reason for this. It was common for those who unlocked the Force through such emotional duress. They were untrained, however, when pushed to their limits, they could perform wonderful feats of power. Her problem would be dealt with training and time.

After this, the rest of her time was spent alternating between Rayne and Juyn, each teaching her the basics of the Force, waiting for the ship to arrive to ferry her to the Academy. And when that day came, Louise could not help but feel nervous.

Standing under the orange sun, Louise stared up at the Imperial shuttle as it flew through the air, coming into land. Around her stood Lord Juyn and Rayne, along with a few Imperials including Lieutenant Meetran, Commander Bosket – whom she was currently trying her best to ignore – and a few Imperial Soldiers.

It was midday, so the mines were being worked by the morning shift, or rather the pirates who survived the attack.

Late in the eight days, she discovered what happened to the pirates who had been taken prisoner. They had been enslaved by the Empire, punished for their crimes. Louise honestly had no idea what to think; they had committed a crime, murdered innocence for money, so they should be punished, but the idea of slavery was still wrong in her heart. Lord Juyn had said that a number of slaves in the Empire were criminals who were punished with forced labour, so their crimes would help the Empire as a whole, but even if the logic was sound, it did not sit right with her. The Sith had even offered to take her to one of the barracks housing the prisoners. She declined.

Soon, the shuttle landed, its stern facing the gathered crowd.

With a mechanical hiss, the landing ramp extended, hitting the ground before the doors opened revealing a stony-faced petite Imperial officer with short auburn hair. In her hands, she held a small personal computer. The Imperial stood just outside the door, off to the side, waiting for Louise to enter.

Louise made a move to head towards the ship, not really sure of what to do, but in her peripheral, she could see Lord Juyn walk up to her, drawing her attention. "May the Force serve you well, Neophyte," he said to Louise, inclining his head. "You'll need it."

Louise had no idea what to say. He had been there for her since he arrived. She wanted to thank him, to hug him even, but she knew it would be inappropriate. So instead, she bowed to both Juyn and Rayne, and said, "I will, my lord."

Juyn smiled whilst Rayne merely inclined her head in acknowledgement.

Taking a deep breath, she walked up the landing ramp of the shuttle. Briefly, she turned around, anxiety twisting in her gut. Lord Juyn was watching her still smiling, while Rayne continued wearing her trademarked scowl, though Louise had been around the girl long enough to know that it was not directed at herself.

Turning back, she saw the Imperial girl gesture for Louise to enter. Inside, she found a set of seats lining the starboard and port sides with another door at the end of the small room. The room was quite pragmatic in design, only having what it needed to function and little more, continuing with the Imperials love of military grey.

Quickly taking a seat, Louise was soon joined by the Imperial. Spearing a nod and an awkward mumble of greeting, she waited for the ship to take off, her nervousness doubling, tripling to uncomfortable levels. This was the first time she would be flying in such a contraption, not only that, but she would also be going leave a planet and fly through the inky void above. It was scary, if she were to be honest.

Unfortunately, she could not simply meditate throughout the flight as the auburn-haired girl opened up her personal computer before turning to address the Pinkette. "Ma'am, as per protocol, I have been ordered to register you into the Empire's archives. If you would answer some questions?"

"Okay…" Louise replied uncertainly.

The Imperial nodded, not once diverting from her expressionless face. Opening her mouth, she was presumably about to ask a question but was interrupted by the ship lurching upwards, to which she turned a glare towards where the pilot would be seated. Louise, however, reacted by gripping her chair with an iron grip, her eyes shutting tightly as the ship shook as it flew through the atmosphere.

Louise could already tell she was not going to like space flight.

 **AN: FFnet's formatting thing fucked up. Can't do the proper day break things, I'm not pleased.**


	5. (1) Act 1: The Sith Academy of the Force

**A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .**

 **STAR WARS**  
 **THE SITH, ZERO**  
 **ACT I**  
 **\- The Way of the Dark Side -**

 **The power of the dark side grows. The SITH EMPIRE has won a major victory against the Galactic Republic and its Jedi guardians, Conquering and enslaving many new worlds.**

 **With a fragile peace in place, the empire sends its slaves to the ancient Sith stronghold of KORRIBAN, hoping to unearth relics of vast power that can be used to dominate the galaxy.**

 **One slave, Louise -formally de la Valliere- powerful with the Force, has been released from servitude to master the dark arts of the Sith or die trying….**

* * *

 ** **Chapter 5 -Act I-  
**** ** **The Sith Academy of the Force****

* * *

[ _Attention all personnel, we will be leaving hyperspace in 3… 2… 1…_ ]

Not a second later after the omnipresent feminine voice known as the intercom system finished its countdown, did the HSS _Kryton_ lurch from hyperspace several million kilometres away from the ancient Holy World of the Sith, Korriban.

Normally, this would pose no issue for those aboard the Gage-class carrier, however, one passenger found themselves stricken by a rare condition known simply as hyperspace sickness. Said passenger soon came to the conclusion that space travel sucked and it was something she would never get used to.

The intercom blared to life once again, overpowering the sounds of gaging. [ _All neophytes, please collect your belongings and make your way down to the hanger bay. The shuttles departing for the Korriban Academy Landing Port will be leaving in thirty standard minutes._ ]

Louise groaned as the announcement died, pushing herself from the cubical she had just finished vomiting in. Silently, she cursed whatever deity struck her with such an ailment. Nevertheless, she heeded the words of the intercom, though before that she checked to make sure her uniform was not sullied by bile before washing the horrid taste from her mouth. Once satisfied, she quickly left the bathroom and headed down towards her quarters.

It had been roughly eight days since she was first picked up from the from the slave planet of Elu, or at least she thought it was. Time passed differently aboard the starship, especially without a sun to go by.

During the shuttle flight to he _Kryton_ , she was asked a variety of different questions from the auburn Imperial Officer. Most questions she had already gone through with Lord Juyn during their dinners: Her name, age, species, birthday as well as a few other bits and pieces about her identity were all surrendered to the Imperial who dictated it all quickly and efficiently. However, that was only the beginning of it all…

Walking through the familiar steel halls, Louise soon arrived at her quarters. The door hissed open to reveal a smallish room built with the idea of pragmaticism rather than comfort. In place of walls, three bunk bed, one built into each side of the wall. In the centre of the room was a small table built for four with a few chairs, the only part of the room made for comfort.

Aside from herself, there was one other person in the room. She was one of the five other's who shared this room with Louise, and one of the many neophytes on the ship.

"You feelin' okay?" the girl asked, looking up from her Imperial issued personal trunk, dressed in her uniform ready for her first day on Korriban.

Just shy of nineteen-years of age, Kory Fyrus towered above Louise, standing around five-foot-inches tall. She was pretty plain in appearance-wise, with a head of copper red hair and a pale face covered in freckles. About the only thing that stood out was the long and uneven scar that ran down the right side of her face.

Kory, much like herself, was once a slave, but unlike Louise, she was a farmer, not a miner – her family had tended to the farms and plantation of the Sith garden worlds for centuries. She also served as proof that the Imperials treated slaves differently all over the Empire as whoever oversaw the garden world preferred letting the slaves work with little interference as long as they worked. If Louise was to be honest, she did feel envious of the girl when she first found out, but quickly squashed it; even if her face was marred, the girl was cute and her kind personality made it nearly impossible to hate.

"I'm fine. Just a bit ill," Louise replied, brushing off Kory's concern despite the horrid feeling that lingered in her gut. Looking around, she could see that aside from her own trunk and Kory's, the four others were missing. "Where're the others?"

"They packed and left. I stayed here waiting for you," Kory replied with a kind smile.

Louise returned the smile. While they might not be friends, Kory looked out for others. Waling over to her personal trunk, she opened it, finding most of her personal belonging staring back at her.

When she left Elu, she had nothing but the clothes on her back, that being the dress she was given by Juyn – which in actual fact had been a Sith robe. However, upon taking her first few steps aboard the _Kyrton_ , she was promptly given a chest-like trunk containing some small clothes and three Academy uniforms.

The uniforms themselves were nothing special, just an amalgamation of a few articles of clothes. The top was a grey long-sleeve undershirt, covered by a loose-fitting jacket made of thin, yet tough red synthetic fabric. The bottom half was far simpler, comprised of a pair of leggings made of a comfortable elastic fabric, allowing a good range of movement, as well as a pair of calf-high boots and a utility belt.

Aside from clothes, Louise was also presented with her very own personal datapad and her first weapon, the training saber.

At first glance, the training saber was little more than a twenty-three-inch durasteel club. With a solid hit, it could deal serious damage to others. However, there was more to it then being a simple club: The training saber was designed to have the specific balance and weight of a real lightsaber, not only that but running along the 'blade' were thousands of microscopic venomous barbs. These barbs were harvested from the small pelko bugs and would cause burns and blisters upon coming in contact with flesh, it would also paralyse the surrounding area, mimicking the amputating effect of a lightsaber. During her eight days' worth of cram training, she had felt the pain of these barbs many times.

Her training saber was currently on her bed inside its sheath beside her datapad. After making sure all her clothes were safely away, she closed her trunk and summoned her datapad to hand with the Force, hiding it safely away in a pouch on her belt. Next, she summoned her training blade, almost immediately feeling the strange yet familiar sensation flooding through her.

Memories of the first time she held her training blade flashed to mind. She had been sitting on her bed in the safety of her shared quarters. It had only been two hours since she first arrived on the _Kryton_ and her bunkmates were all out training while Louise adjusted to the new space. She had been contemplating something or other, fiddling with her training saber. At first, nothing happened, but upon grasping the hilt to pull it free, it was like an adrenaline rush; suddenly she felt stronger, faster, her vision sharper as everything around her seemed to slow just that little bit.

The shock caused her to drop her training saber in surprise, after giving herself a moment to compose herself, she picked the training saber up from the floor cautiously. However, the second she touched the hilt, the sensation filled her again. This time she did not drop it but began examining the weapon, trying to figure out what was causing the strangeness. Yet, she found nothing about the weapon that was out of the ordinary. No, it was her who was the source of the strangeness, specifically, the runes upon the back of her left hand… they were glowing.

She, of course, kept this to herself. While she might have trusted Lord Juyn, the rest of the Empire she would not – even her roommates. So, she told no one, something the Sith encouraged, and began getting into the habit of wearing a glove on her left hand. Though, this did little to hamper any curiosity she had.

From extensive experimentation, she learned a few things: she knew they were from her homeworld – in fact, the runes very much resembled the runes that would magically carve themselves upon bound familiar. She knew that they would only work with weapons, whether it be a vibroblade, training saber or blaster. And finally, she knew somewhat what it did and managed to break it down into three parts: The first part involved granting her enhanced speed and strength on par with an extremely athletic man, as well as good reaction time as well. The second involved numbing pain, which was both a boon and a curse; while fighting, it meant she was unhindered by pain, but outside of a fight, she had to deal with the burns and blisters that would result. And finally, the runes granted her knowledge on how to use the weapons; whether it be training sword or blaster, she knew how to use it effectively. She was by no means a master when the runes were active, but she could hold her own against the other, more learned, neophytes.

Was it cheating? Louise had no idea. All she knew was that it would keep her alive and that's all she cared about.

Quickly, she strapped the training saber's scabbard to her belt. Now, all she had to do was figure out how to get the trunk from her quarters to the hanger. It was not heavy, made from pretty light materials, but it would be unwieldy to lift.

Looking over to Kory, her answer was given quite simply: Just levitate it.

Taking a deep breath, Louise stood up and stretched out her hands, drawing upon the Force to lift the trunk from the floor. It was far easier than the previous attempts at telekinesis, but she knew there was quite the distance between her room and the hanger bay. Yet, she knew she could do it, and soon enough she was following Kory through the ship towards the hanger.

And as she walked, she could not help but contemplate, once again, what life would be like as an Acolyte of the Dark Side. She knew she was not an acolyte yet, she was just a mere neophyte until she finished her first trial, but that did not stop her from musing. From what she learned, life at the Korriban Academy was a far cry from her life at the Tristain Academy.

First off, the actual Academy could be called a veritable city, built to house a population that easily exceeded the entirety of Tristain, and possibly the neighbouring countries as well. But it was more than size and numbers that were different, it was how it was run.

There were no year levels or set classes one was sorted into, instead the neophytes were gathered into groups of six where they would be put under the responsibility of an Overseer. The Overseer's job would be to moderate and, as the name implied, oversee their training; they would plan their neophytes' trials and their schedules for lessons. Louise had already been sorted into her group, the neophytes she had been bunked with; their Overseer, on the other hand? She knew nothing about who they would be.

What she did know, however, was the Sith Lord who had claimed her and her fellow neophytes as potential apprentices. Continuing the theme of being contrary to her previous experiences with academies, Sith academies usually trained students for only a year, two years in unusual cases. This was because the Academy was to train students for their actual training as an apprentice to a Sith Lord, which lasted for anywhere to five to twenty years. The Sith who had chosen Louise, though, was someone by the name of Lord Zash. Unfortunately, aside from knowing the Sith's name and the fact they were female, she knew little else. If she wanted to learn more, she would have to go to the Academies archives.

Speaking of learning, the education system was quite different as well. From what she learned, most learning came from one's own hands. In fact, due to her status as a 'slave-caste', she had a far heavier workload than the others. Her education in the arts of the Force as well as the Empire at large was stunted, limited to whatever she had picked up on the _Kryton_ and what Lord Juyn had thought her. Fortunately, she did not have to learn everything on her lonesome; various classes, lectures and other such lessons were available for neophytes to attend at their leisure as they were not mandatory. About the only mandatory part of the Academy were the trials.

Trials could be considered the Sith version of an exam. They were tasks neophytes had to perform to prove themselves to their overseer and the Sith who claimed them. It was odd and far more dangerous than her old academy. Lord Juyn had even warned that death was a high possibility and that she should not get attached with many of the neophytes in her group because they may end up dead. It was one of the major issues she had with the Sith Academy. Death was considered commonplace, to weed out the weak. If an acolyte died, then it was obvious that they were weak and as such unworthy of being Sith.

Louise shook her head, knowing that delving into that subject would not lead anywhere pleasant, and instead focused on keeping the trunk levitated in the air.

Soon enough, they arrived at the hanger. It was a massive, expansive room filled with shuttles. The floor was a dull black with white and yellow marking around, signifying different landing zones and other such things while the walls and roof were more of the same military grey. However, it was the hanger doors on either side of the ship which interested her the most; the doors looked like little more than massive windows with pale blue glass, but she knew that it was not glass, there was not even anything physical separating ship from space. No, instead an advanced piece of technology was installed around the rims of the massive doors known as a magnetic containment field generator which stopped the air from escaping into the void.

It was interesting, to say the least. Though, she was disappointed that the doors were not facing the planet… she had yet to see any from space.

Ripping her eyes from the starry void, she began looking around for the other neophytes, following Kory from the platform she stood upon and down onto the ground floor below. Many of the shuttles below had little groups of neophytes waiting for the ships to take them down to Korriban, and she knew one must be hers, she just needed to find it. Fortunately, she was quick to find them, in part due to the fact one of them was practically a giant.

"You alright, Louise?" asked one of the neophytes, a male human by the name of Niloc, his dark eyes cautious, as if she were to vomit at any second.

Louise nodded somewhat annoyed by his caution. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Good. But if you're gonna be sick, please aim elsewhere," he grumbled. Niloc was the odd one out of their little group of neophytes. He, much like everyone else in the sextet, was a slave, but he was a domestic slave belonging to a Sith Lord, not a state slave belonging to the Empire. He seemed to have loved his time as a slave and wanted to use his time at the Academy to prove himself to his former lord or die trying.

Others in their sextet were the identical twins, Wydr and Balek. Both shared the same hair, face clothes and even a similar build, so much so that the only difference she could see was their facial hair; Wydr had a single goatee while his brother sported a strange style that could best be described as two patches of long hair hanging from the sides of his mouth. They worked as manufacturers, building droids, vehicles, and other such mechanical wonders for the Empire. In this, both were well versed in mechanics, though Wydr seemed much more knowledgeable than his stronger brother.

Gerr was the tallest out of the group, standing nearly twice Louise's own height and twice as wide. He was pretty much all muscle, having worked in the cortosis minds where mining lasers were pretty much useless, making hydraulic jacks a lifesaver. When she found out how hard cortosis mining was, she found a new appreciation for her former occupation. It sounded like absolute agony on the arms.

Then there was Louise and Kory, the only two girls in the group and the only two who had hair that was not brown or black.

Six neophytes, all vying for the attention of one Sith Lord, yet only one would ever gain her approval.

However, there was a seventh hanging around the shuttle. It was a Sith Pureblood, one she had seen occasionally around the ship. Louise did not know much about him, other than his species, as he tended to keep to himself and sneer at anyone who tried striking up a conversation. Whether he was a neophyte, an acolyte or even an apprentice, she had no idea, but she did know his fanciful purple robes were not standard issue. It had actually been a surprise to see a male version of Rayne, especially as he seemed far more… _human_ than Rayne; really, the only difference between him and a human was the red skin. While curious about why he was standing with them, the scowl on his face acted as a deterrent.

Soon, the seven were joined by an Imperial office. A slim man who only seemed only as important as his outfit. In a low drone, he began to explain to the gathered neophytes what would be happened when they land, even informing them of their Overseer, a human male named Harkun, who would meet them at the landing platform.

Once he finished his spew, he gestured for the neophytes to board the shuttle, wishing them luck on their first trial. With trepidation, Louise followed her fellow neophytes up the ramp and into the shuttle, hoping beyond all hope this flight would be better than her last.

...

While the trip was far nicer compared to her first ever flight in a shuttle, it meant it was by no means pleasant – especially during the dreaded turbulence. As such, Louise tried her best to delve into the great distraction that was meditation.

Eventually, though not soon enough, the ship landed on the platform. Louise, wanting to get off the death-trap as quickly as possible, managed to get off third, behind Niloc and Kory. However, she did not get far before she found herself stopping in her tracks, eyes wide as she took in the landscape that was Korriban. The platform was elevated, sticking out the side of a great divide which acted as a wall between the valley and the rest of Korriban, which gave Louise a breathtaking sight.

It was so unlike anything Louise had seen before; none of the lush grass that covered the fields of Tristain, nor the sprawling forests and especially not the monotonous grey slate that seemed to make up majority of Elu's landscape. No, Korriban could best be described as a desert, desolate and completely dominated by various shades of red stone, sand and dirt. But just because it was bare did not mean it was any less beautiful. The stone formations that litter the land looked absolutely gorgeous, spires of stone stabbed at the sky, the ancient pillars carved with intricate patterns and worn statues of the Old Sith towering above them all. It was magnificent. It was not just the simple sight that affected Louise, though, but the presence that seemed to permeate the land. The Force was strong here, powerful in the ominous sounding Dark Side. It made sense, this planet was the homeworld of the Sith species as well as the birthplace of the Sith Empire.

Of course, she could see the signs of the modern Empire, such as the landing planet and the faraway city of Dreshdae she could see far off on the horizon. Even the Academy, which she knew was kilometres and kilometres away, hidden behind the divide.

Someone shoved into Louise, interrupting her view. Snapping her head around, she found herself staring at the hooded Pureblood who flashed her a look of utter disgust before swaggering on his merry way. Shaking her head and flashing a glare at the man who practically oozed arrogance, but he ignored her. _Bastard._

Giving one last look to the beautiful landscape before following leaving the landing platform, she quickly picked up the pace, walking down the path towards a smallish building built into the side of the outside of the Valley. Soon, she found her group of neophytes standing before a boorish looking man – the Sith Pureblood nowhere to be seen.

The boorish man – who, if the lightsaber was anything to go by, was Overseer Harkun – looked like one of the most displeased man in the galaxy in his red and white jumpsuit, grey pauldrons sticking out from his shoulders. Yet he still looked respectable, with a head of combed brown hair, a pointed goatee and sharp blue eyes. He also had a red tattoo on his forehead, wrapping around his right eye.

"Ah, the last one to arrive is finally here," he said with a sneer, and suddenly, Louise found her opinion of the man dropping. "I hope you don't think you're special, it would be a shame if all that freedom went to your head, or if you somehow got the idea that you didn't need your trials to become Sith."

"I apologise, Overseer," Louise replied, trying to keep her irritation out of her voice. _Out of all the Overseers…_

"Quiet you," he snapped, pausing as he regarded the rest of the neophytes with contempt. "Lord Zash has tasked me with sorting through you refuse to find one worthy of being her apprentice and I intend to do just that. Now, as for your trial… There lives a hermit by the name of Lord Spindrall who lives deep in the tomb of Ajunta Pall. Spindrall's a lunatic, but Lord Zash sees him as some kind of prophet. Once you find him, he will test you all and judge.'

"If you are competent enough to finish whatever test he has for you, you will be permitted to enter the Sith Academy where I will be waiting with his verdict. Don't keep me or Spindrall waiting." With one last glare to the gathered neophytes, he turned around and walked deeper into the building.

"Well, he's certainly abrasive," Wydr muttered once he was sure Harkun was out of earshot.

"Show respect, Wydr," Niloc snapped, crossing his arms in what he must have assumed was an imperious way, though it lost all effect seeing as Wydr was a few feet taller than the relatively short former servant. "He's a Sith Lord and we, mere neophytes."

"Still, I think we should all watch our backs around him," Kory said, wringing her hands.

"I wouldn't want to be Louise, though," snickered Gerr. "Seems to have been insulted by your tardiness."

"Hey!" the girl in question retorted. "I was only a few seconds late!"

"I don't think it mattered to him," Wydr said with a shrug.

"I don't think he needs much reason to hate us," Balek re-joined, clasping a hand on his brothers back.

"Before I left the services of Lord Hera'al," Niloc mused, "she told me that most slave-caste were treated with contempt until they've proven themselves. If we survive, he'll eventually warm up to us."

Wydr snorted. "I doubt it." Louise had to agree, and it appeared everyone else, aside from Niloc, did as well.

"Anyway, we should probably hurry up," Kory said, cutting their discussion short. "He did say we shouldn't keep him waiting…" Everyone seemed to freeze with that declaration from the timid girl, all turning to look at her incredulously.

In the next moment, almost everyone was halfway across the room, delving deeper into the arrival port as to get to the Valley of the Dark Lords as quickly as possible.

...

"Wow…" breath Niloc, his eyes wandering around the valley as he walked.

Louise could not help but agree. Her head craned around, trying to take in everything around her. While she had been impressed with the simple size and precise nature of modern Imperial constructs, the runes of what Niloc called the "Old Empire," were simply stunning. Splitting the Valley down the centre was a wide street, once made of smooth stone bricks, they were little more than cobble now. Lining the sides, she could see tall obelisks and imposing stone carvings of Sith and beast alike, though most had fallen into disarray.

Many grand tombs could be seen dotting the landscape, some built up high on ridges, others closer to the expansive valley floor. Each of them belonged to one of the legendary Dark Lords of the Sith and their servants; from the great King Adas to the last Dark Lord, Naga Sadow. They were massive, each their own veritable castle, and designed to show off the wealth and power of the Dark Lord who lay entombed.

However, just as it was outside the Valley, there were signs of the modern Empire built around, it was kept to a minimum – most of it being outposts that dotted the gargantuan valley, safe spots where Sith, Imperials and Acolytes alike could take shelter from the dangers that lurked amongst the ruins. Such dangers were creatures such as the tuk'atas, shyracks, hssiss or any other of the many dangerous creatures that stalked the valley.

And there, before Louise and her fellow neophytes, was the tomb of Ajunta Pall, sat in the epicentre of the massive valley. The tomb sat atop what could be considered a shallow flat-topped pyramid, standing like a sinister cathedral amongst the others. Despite the scars of war, she could see plain as day upon its exterior, it still stood as a guiding light to all around it.

The only issue was the tomb seemed to have an… infestation of sorts. K'lor'slugs, one of the many races of monsters that prowled the Valley. They were pale serpentine creatures that skittered across the ground upon six pointed legs that stabbed into the ground with each step they took. Their arms, as of course the creature needed arms, were similar to their legs, but closer to their head and posed much like a mantis. But, the most horrific thing about the creature? The fact it was roughly the size of the average human with a maw that looked far more like a gaping hole filled with sharp jagged teeth that could tare a man to pieces or swallow them whole.

As they drew closer, they could see more and more of the disgusting creatures. The six tried to avoid them and succeeded somewhat.

The sound of cracking stone followed by a sharp scream to her left jarred Louise. In a second, her hand grasped her training blade as she spun to face whatever the danger was. What she saw would have been funny had the danger not been five feet from her.

Kory was practically ten feet in the air, leaping away from a cloud of dust and dirt that had shot from the ground. Inside the dust cloud, she could see what looked to be a k'lor'slug tearing itself from the ground, it's feet stabbing into the stone as it lunged at Kory who was just out of reach.

With only a seconds warning from the Force, Louise soon found herself leaping into the air. The ground below her exploding from underneath as a maw of hundreds of sharp teeth shooting out of the ground, aiming to swallow her up.

When her feet hit the ground, she quickly pushed herself away from the k'lor'slug, seeing several other of the beasts crawling out of the ground. Fortunately, the other neophytes were fast enough to either defend themselves or put distance between them. While they dealt with theirs, Louise focused on her own.

The creature stalked forwards, its feet clicking against the stone as it moved; not wanting to be within range of its maw, Louise kept her distance, not sure how to proceed. The k'lor'slug shrieked, rearing back before lunging towards Louise, crossing the distance between them surprisingly quickly, only to crumple to the floor in agony as lightning tore at its body. Quickly moving while the creature was stunned, Louise raised her durasteel training saber, slamming it down on the monster's head repeatedly, as if she were trying to kill a particularly stubborn cockroach. By the time her k'lor'slug was still, bleeding green guck onto the stone ground. Around her, the other neophytes were dealing with the other k'lor'slugs.

Her eyes darted around, looking to the other neophytes as they dealt with their own. Balek and Wydr worked together with unsurprising cohesion, drawing three of the k'lor'slugs away from the group before tag-teaming the creatures with their training sabers. Gerr was fending off two of the creatures, using the Force to keep the creatures at bay, pushing them back with blasts of telekinesis. This left Kory and Niloc to face off against their own k'lor'slug with their training sabers. Kory looked to be struggling the most with hers, so without much pause, she moved to help her.

Raising her off hand, she summoned the Dark Side, unleashing it upon the unsuspecting creature. It fell to the floor, strange alien screams of agony escaping its maw, before Kory capitalised on its pain, quickly ending it. By the time they finished, Gerr had ended one of his own, wrestling the other to the floor, his training saber lodged in its mouth – it's screeches of pain, its mouth blistered and burned, mixed with rage as it tried tearing the man apart; the twins had killed one and were busy beating back the other two. Niloc, however, was still struggling with his own.

Acting quickly, Louise rushed to Gerr's side, swinging her training saber with her augmented strength, smashing into the head of the k'lor'slug which had pinned Gerr to the ground. Gerr acted instantly, ripping free his training saber before pushing the k'lor'slug onto the floor, straddling it. With his large muscular arms that spoke of years' worth mining, he brought his training saber down onto its head again and again and again.

Kory, while hesitant to act, ran to assist the others; helping Niloc end his foe just as the twins prevailed over theirs, beating them back and causing them to flee.

With no danger in the vicinity, Louise tried to get her heart under control. This was the first real fight she had since the pirate attack and she was thankful. Fighting beasts was a concept she was familiar with – people, she was not. A duel was fine, training even, but the thought of killing another still did not sit well with her. Often times, she remembered asking to join her parents when a dangerous beast such as wild dragons or manticores trespassed on their land, threatening commoners. She knew back then that something was wrong with her magic, but she thought she could still help, even with her measly explosions.

Around her, the other neophytes were recovering from the sudden attack. Niloc, as well as Wydr, were looking warily around the valley, making sure they wouldn't be attacked by anything else. Balek was squeezing his arm, blood dripping from a wound onto the ground, as Kory tried to assist him with some medical supplies she had with her.

Gerr, however, seemed to have taken the ambush as a personal offence. "Well, at least we know they can dig!" he cried, his breath heavy as he kicked one of the fallen creatures. "Kark it all…"

"Well, the instructors did say that we should always be on guard when in the Valley," said Niloc replied Niloc offhandedly, leaning on his training saber like a cane.

"We should keep our weapons out, there could be more," said Balek as Kory applied a gauze damp with what Louise assumed was kolto.

"I second that," grumbled Kory.

"Thirded," Niloc sighed.

Louise's lips quirked in a small smile. Her eyes drifted up to the sky, spotting the sun hanging in the distance. She did not know what time it was on Korriban, as apparently not all planets had a twenty-four-hour day, but she knew she did not wish to spend her time in the valley during the night. "Let's just get to Ajunta Pall's tomb before we attract any more attention."

With a small murmur of agreement, they were once again on the move.

...

"Welcome to Outpost Epsilon. Sergeant Cormun, Fifth Infantry company, Korriban regiment, at your service, sirs. You must be the hopefuls here for your trials."

"You've heard of us?" asked Gerr, expressing the same confusion Louise felt. They had just descended into the tomb when they were confronted by the man who called himself Sergeant Cormun. Dressed in red plated armour covering a black body glove, Cormun was a lanky man – though his armour made him appear larger – with dark skin, darker hair and defined features. Behind him was what looked like the outside of an Imperial outpost, built into the tomb with a few turrets and soldiers to guard the base. Its pragmatic designs of military grey durasteel contrasting against the dark red of the stone.

"Of course, sir," the man replied, straightening his spine as he spoke to the giant that was Gerr. "You would have been arrested for trespassing had you not been given permission by your Overseer. Aside from the outposts, the rest of the Valley is off limits to all acolytes and neophytes both."

"Speaking of, do you happen to know where Lord Spindrall resides?" Wydr asked.

"Lord Spindrall?" the Sergeant echoed thoughtfully for a moment. "If you will follow me, I can direct you."

With a slight shrug and a curious look to the other neophytes, Wydr replied, "Lead the way, Sergeant." And with that, the six followed Cormun through the tomb, past the outpost and down a nearby flight of stairs and through the lower chambers of the tomb.

They walked in relative silence, making sure no k'lor'slugs were around to dampen their day once again. Fortunately, the path to Spindrall's chambers was relatively free from the creatures, most being killed off by the failed acolytes who apparently came to Spindrall for sanctuary. Without the man-eating monsters around, Niloc decided to make some small talk with the soldier. "So… what do you do at the outpost?"

"I was stationed here to keep the k'lor'slug population under control," Cormun replied, "The damned bastards breed so fast that it's hard to kill them conventionally. We've managed to fend them off for now, but lately, they've been getting more aggressive."

"You've killed a lot of them?" Wydr asked.

"Yes, sir," he said. "As I've said, their difficult to kill, but when you've spent any amount of time in this tomb, you'll learn a few things."

"Could you give us any tips?" the neophyte pressed.

Cormun scratched his chin, humming in thought. "The underbelly's softer, not the chest area, but lower down on their body," he explained. "…They swallow anything, really, so if you've got a thermal detonator or any other type of explosive, throw one into their mouth and you've won that fight…" He continued on, giving advice – don't get too close, the average blaster is only useful against the young and the worker caste, stay away from the larger red ones unless you've got a plan – fairly standard things, he said. The other neophytes tried asking questions about Spindrall and the trial they would get, but there was not much he could say aside from a brief on the Sith Lord.

Louise, however, asked nothing. She did not feel comfortable asking the soldier any questions despite how kind he seemed, but she did listen and learn. As she did so, she kept her eyes around the tomb, taking in the sights. The tomb was old, that much she could tell just by looking at it from the outside, but on the inside, it appeared far less damaged, though the ware of time was noticeable. Dimly lit by strange glowing crystals that hung from the walls or nestled into the hands of some statues, as well as the artificial lamps of the modern Empire, keeping the darker corners filled with light for safety. While the lights were not enough brightening the darkest spots of the tomb, they gave enough light to shine upon the various grand murals and statues depicting various battles and ominous figures standing cloaked by robes. She could see a few branching chambers, some leading to what she assumed were sarcophagi built for the servants of the owner, other to the rest of the tomb.

Their conversation was brought up short, however, as they reached their destination.

"Just head down there and you'll meet Lord Spindrall," he said, pointing down a narrow staircase. "It'll lead you right to Lord Spindrall."

Following the directions down the staircase, the six came across two Force Sensitives donned in tattered black robes that covered most their features, however, she could tell they were both male humans. Training sabers hung from their sides, telling signs that they were probably the failed acolytes Spindrall kept around. They stood in front of an imposing double door with the image of a Sith carved upon it.

As they walked towards the two, Louise could not help but feel as if she was being sized up by the two, like a sheep before a wolf. It was unnerving, but she tried to keep it off her face. When they finally arrived, the two inclined their heads, one saying, "Lord Spindrall awaits in the sacrificial chamber. You will find it on the left."

 _Sacrificial chamber!?_ Louise though incredulously, but before she could press for an answer, the acolytes summoned the power of the Force, opening the massive door, the sounds of stone scraping against the ground grating to her ears.

Once the door was open, revealing a moderately sized chamber filled with what seemed to be training equipment. There were three other doorways, one on each side of the chamber walls, all three closed, aside from one, sitting on the right. Assuming this was the right chamber, the six began their walk towards the so-called sacrificial chamber. As they did, Louise could not help but stare at the failed acolytes, each donned in black robes, train with their training sabers or even the Force. Some, though, were not training, instead watching the six neophytes intently.

The further she walked and the closer she got to the sacrificial chamber, dread started knotting in her gut. Since discovering that the Sith Lord lived in some sacrificial chamber, unease set in her gut, but she tried to not let it show as she followed, but nevertheless it spelt uncomfortable thoughts about what trial awaited them.

Soon, they entered into the sacrificial chamber. The room was smaller than the previous but taller. A large dais sat centre at the back of the chamber, only accessible by a stone staircase. In front of the dais was a wide space, allowing enough room for a small assembly of people to stand comfortably.

At first, the six hesitated where they stood at the threshold, all their eyes drifting to the top of the dais. They could see a figure sitting at the top, their shadows flickering as the fire lighting the chamber danced in their braziers hanging from the walls.

Taking her eyes away, Louise looked to the other neophytes. They looked uncertain, aside from Niloc who looked reverent. Louise was uncertain as well; she was about to meet Spindrall and receive her first trial. She had no idea what it was going to be, whether it was dangerous or difficult, whether she would succeed or fail. Anticipation and fear filled her, but she was so close…

 _The Rule of Steel._ She said to herself, closing her eyes. _Remember the Rule of Steel_.

Taking a deep breath, she began walking towards the Sith Lord. This seemed to snap the others out of their stupor and soon the six were halfway up the staircase.

But before they even reached the top, the large stone doors that sat at the threshold between the sacrificial chamber and the training room closed with a grating crash. All six snapped around at the sound, their hands gripping tightly to the hilts of their training sabers. Yet nothing. Shrugging in confusion, the six continued eventually arriving at the top of the dais. But before they could even announce their presence, Spindrall spoke.

"Slaves…" he said, though there was no animosity behind his words, unlike Harkun… just a statement of fact. "Welcome to my humble hole." The aged man – if his voice was any indicator – began to stand. "You're here for your trial, yes? To learn the ways of the Sith from a doddering old man in a tomb, and hopefully return to your master with the mark of my approval," he ended, now facing the six.

Spindrall looked much like the headmaster of her previous academy, but at the same time, he could not be any more different; his skin was a sickly hue compared to Osmund's healthy completion; his beard was as white as snow, but shorter, cut to a much more manageable length; and his eyes were a glowing yellow, boring into the neophytes, judging. Spindrall was also thin, his figure draped in dusty brown hooded robes. A lightsaber hung from his hip and a golden ring hanging from a chain around his neck. "Well?" he prompted when nobody replied.

"Yes, my lord," the six replied quickly, bowing their heads in respect.

"Of course, of course," he grumbled, much like any grandfather would, "I know the way of things on the surface – even in the deepest regions of this tomb, the reception is acceptable. Before I give you my answer either way; you must pass the Trial of Blood." With a snap of his fingers, the doors opened again, allowing six acolytes to enter the chamber before it suddenly closed once again. Despite how much of a novice she was with the Force, Louise could feel nervousness and resolve building within them through the Force. "These failures have been chosen as your foe. To each of you, one acolyte. Survive, and I shall teach you what I know. Die, and they shall take your place."

 _I… what_? Louise's brain stalled. Around her, her fellow neophytes reacted similarly, though one at least was more vocal about it. "You want us to fight them, to kill them?" Kory asked, stunned the declaration.

"I shall say no more until you all have finished your trial." And with that, he turned away from them before beginning to meditate.

The six stared at the elderly man dumbfounded before slowly turning to face the six other acolytes who had just entered the room. Louise had no idea about the other neophytes, but she… did not know what she was feeling. Just numbness. She could say that she felt outraged, confused, scared, but truly there was just numbness. She did not want to kill anyone, she just wanted to learn, and now she was being forced to take part in a duel to the death with random strangers.

Niloc and Gerr were the first to move, though it was slow and cautious. Then the twins, leaving Kory and Louise to stand atop the dais with the elderly Sith Lord. Turning to Kory, she could see the girl's fear, uncertainty. Kory did not want to do this, Louise felt the same way, but there was no other option. Turning back to the gathered six failed acolytes, they knew they had to move.

Together, they descended the staircase, soon catching up with the twins despite how slowly they moved. She could feel the emotions flurrying in the air, anxiousness and fear playing a large part, not that she could blame anyone. They soon arrived at the bottom of the stairs. For a moment, nothing happened. The six acolytes sat seiza, their heads bowed and their training sabers sitting in their lap. It was silent. The shadows around the room flickering at the whims of the flaming braziers.

Then, in a near instant, the acolytes moved. Some using the Force to leap at their chosen neophyte, others using the Force to augment their speed as they charged towards them. Louise reacted as fast as she could, raising her saber to parry the attack, letting her foes weapon skim over her. Quickly, using her rune enhanced speed, she skipped backwards, making room between the two.

She could feel her heart beating quickly in her chest. She did not want to kill him, she did not want to _kill_ anyone! The acolyte closed the distance, attacking in long wide and strong swings; his attacks were telegraphed, easy to see even without the Force. He was certainly no master with a blade, but then again, neither was she.

Their blades clashed, again and again. He was always on the offensive, she on the defensive. Around her, the din of battle was echoing in the chamber. The sound of durasteel on durasteel, grunts and growls from both sides. She could feel emotions running high, from fear to anger. Even her opponent's emotions were running high, every second his anger and hatred growing and growing. She, herself, felt none of that, she felt scared and confused. Why would the Sith want to have their students fight to the death? Was this some sick joke? But no answer became apparent.

She batted his blade away with a heavy strike. Unbalanced, he nearly toppled. It was an opening. She could end this fight easily. Just one hit to the arm to disable his sword hand, and victory would be hers… but she couldn't. She just couldn't bring herself to strike this man down. She hesitated, and as her instructors had said, it only took a second's hesitation for the fight to end.

Her arm was hit. It was not a hard hit, but she knew it would have hurt had her runes not blocked the pain, yet in spite of this, she could still feel the uncomfortable sensation of blisters rapidly forming under her shirt. But she knew that was not all.

Panic flooded through her as she felt her grip on her training saber loosening, the paralytic agent stalling all movement in her arm, and by extension her hand. In that instant, she could see her death.

With a casual swipe of his training saber, the acolytes training disarmed her. He kicked her in the chest, knocking the wind from her lungs. Knocked from her feet, she tried desperately to stand and lunge for her weapon, but before she could even make a move for her training saber, bolts of blue lightning slammed into her chest. For a split second, she was back on Elu being tortured by the guards. The familiar agony of electricity racking through her body. A scream of pain tore from her throat, her body convulsing, falling to the floor as lightning tormented her body.

The barrage of lightning ended soon, though, to Louise, it felt far longer. Her body hurt, aching, but she knew she needed to move lest she die. She pushed herself up, her eyes locking onto the acolyte. He was walking towards her, his pace steady and careful. A gleeful smile was plastered on his face. She could tell he thought he'd won and he wanted to enjoy the moment. But it was his eyes, his eyes that told her everything. In the instant her eyes met his, she felt as if she were staring at the pirate who killed Ren. Just like a pirate who would kill for a few measly credits, he was going to kill her for a second chance. Her blood boiled at the thought, her lips parting, bearing her teeth. He had his chance and failed – he was not going to take away her's. She had come too far to fail now.

Louise launched herself off the ground with new found strength. With a scream of rage, she shot her hands forwards, summoning lances of her own purple hued lightning. The acolyte did not have time to react before he was flung from his feet, slamming into the stone stairs behind him, hard. Yet, even then Louise did not let up her attack, unleashing wave upon wave of rage made manifest, sapping his life away. Soon his thrashing stilled, and she knew she had killed him.

Around her, the other neophytes had fought their battles and won. Gerr was panting, his arms steading himself on his knees, his acolyte's head nothing but a red mess; Niloc had strangled his acolyte, forgoing training sabres altogether; Wydr seemed to have snapped his acolytes while his brother had caved in his acolyte's skull. As for Kory's… Kory's was bruised and battered, but little else.

It was brutal and made Louise feel sick to her stomach, but even now, she refused to show it. Nevertheless, the six survived and… defeated their chosen adversary. They returned to the top of the dais where Spindrall stood ready to congratulate them.

"Excellent…" he began. "These former acolytes wanted nothing more than to earn their second chance for glory by killing you and taking your place–" Despite that knowledge, Louise did not feel any better – "But your desire proved stronger and their blood became the mantle of your victory. Well done – but, you are not Sith yet." Spindrall took a breath before continuing. "Peace is a lie, there is only passion; through passion, I gain strength; through strength, I gain power; through power, I gain victory; though victory, my chains are broken; the Force shall free me. These are the tenets of the Sith, but they are more than just words to be memorised. You must truly commit these words to heart, live them, breath them, and when you do, you will become Sith.'

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion – Conflict is the law of the universe, a constant; without conflict, life becomes stagnate. It is a simple statement, one that our enemies forget. As for passion… passion is the fuel which keeps us alive; it is our will to survive and our will to thrive; without passion, a great many things would never have been created, people never born, empires never forged. It is through passion, we crawled from our caves, survived the harshness of life and reached the stars.'

"Through passion, I gain strength – Fan the flames of passion, and you will gain strength. However, just as passion is not limited to lust, strength is not just limited to your muscles, but strength that encompasses many things; the strength one has when creating a plan and strategizing, the strength one has when building machines and the strength one has in battle. But there is more… passion gives us strength at the primal level; it is through passion all creatures, great and small, survived the harshness of life. To think us creatures beyond the need of simple passions in a delusion.'

"Through strength, I gain power – When you grow in strength, so do you grow in power. The strongest rules, but as I said, one is not only strong in how much the can lift. We do not allow novices to build our starships, to lead our armies, but those that have proven their strength, their power. However, you must also keep testing yourself; every experiment leads to a new discovery, even if it ends in failure. Every scar you earn is another lesson and through these lessons, you will grow. Without hardship, we do not advance.'

"Through power, I gain victory – Victory is only attained when you show that your power is superior. Without show this, your victory is little more than an illusion. Temporary. There is no victory unless you have shown yourself superior, shown that you have fought tooth and nail to survive. Without hardship, our victory has no meaning.'

"Through victory, my chains are broken – Many things in life will chain you down, from the obvious chains such as the stigma against you slave-borns to the subtle chains such as self-doubt or pride. You will never attain victory if you let these chains hold you down; it is only through passion, through will, that you will gain victory and break these chains.'

"And finally: The Force shall free me – Freedom is the end goal of all. One never revels in chains; some may say they do, but there will be something always gnawing away. While the majority must fight harder for strength, power, victory, we Sith have been granted a boon in the form of our connection to the Force. The Force grants us power beyond mere mortals and it is with this power we shall reach freedoms others could only dream of.'

"This is my wisdom of the Qotsisajak, the Sith Code. Do you understand?"

Despite the shock and resentment of killing an acolyte, Louise had listened on regardless. And truly, she did understand what he was talking about, the words singing in her ears, but still, the shadow of death hung over her head. She had killed today, forced to as a sick test. Nevertheless, she answered the Sith's question along with the rest of her shell-shocked companions. "I understand, my lord,"

Spindrall nodded, stroking his beard as he looked at them, evaluating them. "Then go, return to Harkun."

Without needing further prompt, the six turned and descended the stairs once more, their heads heavy with today's events and lessons. Louise, however, was thinking less on the lesson and more on the dead. Even now, she was forced to look at the corpse of the dead as she descended the stairs. Questions flurried around her head, nagging, wishing to be answered: Why did the acolytes need to die? What purpose did it serve? Why would the Sith force this upon her, upon them?

Louise stopped, just as they reached the end of the staircase. "Go on ahead, I wish to speak to Lord Spindrall."

Almost immediately, the neophytes' faces became anxious and worried. "Are you sure?" asked Gerr.

Louise nodded wordlessly.

"Be careful, Louise," replied Wydr. The rest nodded in agreement.

Kory walking up to her and saying, "We'll wait up at the outpost."

And with that, they turned back around and headed towards the large stone door, only looking back once, as if they were afraid she was going to die. To be honest, Louise felt like she was going to die just for asking her questions, but nonetheless, she steeled herself and began walking up the stairs once more, eventually reaching Spindrall who stared at her oddly. "Yes, Acolyte?"

Louise went to ask her question, but paused, fear gripping her heart. The thought that she would die becoming increasingly prevalent in her mind. She pushed on regardless, licking her lips as she said, "Why would you make us fight like this?"

Spindrall considered her for a moment, sizing her up as his eyes raked over her, boring into her. Finally, he spoke. "Normally, such a question would lead to a harsh rebuke from their lecturers, but I will humour you. However, before I answer, I would like your name."

Confused but willing to comply nonetheless, she gave her name. "My name is Louise."

"Well, Acolyte Louise, this has not been the first time this question has been asked," Spindrall said. "Some of the less intelligent members of our order might preach about weeding out the weak, and while this is partly the reason, there is more. In fact, it is the reason I am here. As for your answer… have you ever considered what would happen if we trained every single last Force Sensitive in our Empire?

"No, not really," Louise replied.

"We would have a great many Sith," he explained, gesticulating with his hands, "but it would be an unstable mess. While we strive for freedom, for perfection, there are elements of our Empire that hold us back and some come from the very core of the Empire itself: The Sith. Corruption stains some of our ranks; those too weak to resist the darker natures of their consciousness, far too high off their own pride and vanity. If we had too many, our order would be saturated by these undesirables, if we had too little our order would not be able to withstand our foes.'

"This is why we are so strict with our teachings, why we punish the failure of an acolyte harshly. However, I saw that we had gone too far with this. That is why I am here. I give those failed acolytes who fail a chance to save themselves from overzealous overseers and a chance to prove themselves once more."

Louise squirmed as she listened on, feeling uncomfortable by his words. "But isn't there something else they could do besides becoming Sith?"

"Yes, they could very well join the Jedi to learn the ways of the Force, or they could try and learn on their lonesome. Both are undesirable; the Jedi would simply turn them into a weapon against our order while someone untrained experimenting with the Force could lead to their corruption and the death of many. If they are not Sith, they will want to become Sith and may even fight us to get recognition." He paused, looking down at the door on the other side of the room. "Come, let me escort you to the door."

Without other options, she followed.

"I sense much potential within you, Acolyte Louise," he said as they began walking down the staircase, "but also much uncertainty. You have passion, but it is chained by your uncertainty and self-doubt. Break these chains, Louise, and become the Sith I know you can become. Do not, and you will fail, and you will fall." And with that ominous advice, they reached the end of the stairs. But before they reached the stone door, Spindrall stopped. He turned towards one of the fallen acolytes, the one Kory had fought, and with a sudden twisting motion with his hand, the acolyte's neck snapped.

At first, Louise could only gape at the sight, before her senses came to her. "Why did you do that?!" she asked, shocked by how casually he just desecrated the deceased.

"The red-haired neophyte, she did not kill, rather render her foe unconscious. I gave them a chance, and they failed." Louise was not sure if the last bit was talking about Kory or not. Either way, she felt a strong sense of foreboding about the rest of the day.

...

When Louise left Spindrall's little slice of Ajunta's tomb, she reunited with the other neophytes. When asked about what she asked Spindrall about, she answered with an abridged version of what she asked and been told, though left the latter half out. It was unimportant, and she really did not wish to press Kory about why she did not kill the Acolyte.

After that, they quickly acquired directions to the fastest way to the Academy proper – none of the neophytes wished to walk several kilometres down the twisting and dangerous path towards the Academy, especially with such a time-sensitive mission. Fortunately, it was close by, inside the tomb. Unfortunately, it was a skytaxi which meant flying. But when prompted with the decision between walking alone through the deadly Valley or _not_ doing that, she chose the latter. It cost money, but at least she would not be killed, plus it taught her how to spend the credits she had been given upon being accepted into the Academy.

Never the less, the trip was pleasant. It took its time, did not fly too high and there was no turbulence. It was smooth. The sun was lower than it was when they entered, but there was still some time before sunset, this made the sight of the Valley from up high a lovely sight. Peaceful.

Soon the Valley ended, replaced by the massive sprawling complex that was the Sith Academy. It one word, it was _massive._ The centre of the complex was a massive pyramid which towered above the rest of the various buildings that sprouted from its base with several courtyards to break up the monotony. It certainly held enough room for thousands, millions of students, that was for sure. Even from where she stood she could see various acolytes, instructors and Sith wandering around, training or performing errands. However, she also knew that the main pyramid not only served as an Academy, but the meeting place for the ruling body of the Sith: The Dark Council.

The skytaxi landed in a large plaza near the entrance of the pyramid. It was a wide area with a few other skytaxis sitting in wait. A few acolytes and Imperials were meandering around, some walking with purpose, others lounging around. Without much prompt, they disembarked.

But before they could even take their first steps anywhere, they found themselves approached by a slender young man donned in black and red Sith robes. He was cute, in Louise's opinion, with pretty green eyes, black hair and pale skin, but he also looked incredibly grumpy – not hostile like Harkun, just grumpy, like someone had been caught spitting in his crème brûlée. "I am Assistant Overseer Markan," he practically growled. "Overseer has sent me to guide you to his office."

Without even waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and began heading towards the massive pyramid. As they learned from his not so quiet grumbling, he had been pulled away from his "very important work," to do something so simple as finding Harkun's office. Yet, Louise seriously doubted it would have been so simple, if only for the fact she was almost swept away from the group as they waded through the halls, passing many busy Sith, Acolytes and Imperials. It was incredibly annoying especially because she was so short compared to the others. It was also around this time when Louise found her legs aching from all the walking, but she pressed on regardless.

Eventually, after quite a few more halls, a few large chambers and a few stairwells, the group finally arrived at the hall that would lead to Harkun's office. However, this was as far as Overseer Markan would take them. "Overseer Harkun is right down there, eighth door on the left," he said. "You will receive your personal map to the Academy via your datapads soon enough. Tomorrow, early in the morning, your schedules will arrive." And with that, he left the six alone to meet Harkun.

The Overseer's office was quite small and oddly sparse. She imagined it to be decorated like the various teachers back at her old Academy who each personalised their offices; Harkun's on the other hand, was… empty. Only a desk, a terminal and a desk chair sat in the room with a single statue of the shrouded form of the Emperor behind him.

"It took you all long enough," Harkun growled from his desk. "Though I suppose your tardiness has given me time enough to read through all of Spindrall's notes. I suppose you should be pleased that you've all passed… all but one of you, that is." Louise's blood froze as the declaration. She knew who exactly failed their trials. "Acolyte Kory, step forward, please."

"Yes, Overseer," she replied quietly, and suddenly, Louise did _not_ want to be in the room anymore.

"Spindrall's account on how you faired in your trial was quite illuminating," he said, moving out from behind his desk, standing before Kory. "You're a weak pathetic rodent and even a lunatic like Spindrall can see this. Which means…" A nasty grin twisted onto his face, and before anyone could do anything, he shot his hand out blasting bolts of blue-hued lightning at Kory. The girl cried out in agony, convulsing as the lightning tore at her skin. Louise recoiled at the sight, horror twisting onto her face as she watched Kory fall to the floor, still. Her death had been quick, not even half a minute long, but Louise could still hear her screams echoing in her ears as she stared at the smoking corpse of Kory in shock.

It was like watching Ren die all over again; they might not have been close, but to die in such a way… Louise felt her eyes sting, she wanted to cry, she wanted to scream and shout about how unfair this was, how Kory should never have died.

The footfalls of boots on metal tore Louise's attention away from the dead neophyte. It was the Sith Pureblood she saw earlier that day, walking into the office until he stood beside Harkun, his arms crossed, smiling arrogantly.

"Meet our newcomer, Ffon Althe," Harkun introduced, gesturing to the Sith. "This is real Sith strength and he will tear you all apart and crush your bones, slaves. Look on him! No connections left in the world but pure Sith blood! This… this is Lord Zash's future apprentice! Not filth like you.'

Louise looked at the two, horror morphing quickly into burning hatred. Her hand itched, twitching to summon Harkun's training saber and gut him, and she very well would have, if the penalty of death not hung over her head – not that it stopped her before, but she would not lose control like she did before. She could do nothing, nothing but glare at the man.

"Unfortunately," he continued, ignoring Louise's glare, "the rest of you did indeed pass you trials and so I must give you your next. Niloc, Lord Lumyn wishes for assistance with a particular errand. Gerr, your trial is one involving a recent issue that the Imperial Officers wish to deal with concerning the bloodlines of our students, you'll find them set up near the administrative centre. Wydr, one of the scholars wishes assistance dealing with translating and transcribing ancient Sith texts, you will find them where you'd expect to find them. Balek, you get an interesting trial, dealing with a little pest problem near the east gate of the Academy. As for Ffon, Lord Zash requires her apprentice to be judged by Lord Spindrall down in the tomb of Ajunta Pall. I would hold off until tomorrow to meet with him. And finally, Louise; I wish to speak with you privately. The rest of you, leave us. You lot have until the end of next month to finish them and return to me."

The acolytes left the room quietly, still shocked over the death of Kory. Ffon followed soon after, only stopping to sneer at Louise, "You're next, slave."

Louise glared back, her hands balling up into fists, nails digging into her skin. She wanted to break his nose and make him take back his words. But she did nothing. She stayed quiet, seething, and waited for him to leave the room.

Only when they all left, did Harkun speak. "Now, listen to me. Spindrall is a lunatic. His approval means nothing. You are filth and you will die. Is that clear?"

Once again, Louise stayed silent, knowing that whatever would come from her mouth if she opened it, could very well lead to her death.

"Silent types…" he growled. "Your second trial; Lord Zash has requested a special trial for you, which you will no doubt fail. Go to Inquisitor Zyn in the jails. He will fill you in on the details… and most likely hasten your demise. Just like the others, you have until the end of next month. Now get out of my sight!"

Louise did not need to be told twice, turning around and leaving the murderer's office as quickly as she could. But upon leaving, all her anger dissipated, leaving Louise drained. She wanted to cry, to break down and beg to go back home, she wanted to punch Harkun and Ffon, to hurt them both, and she wanted to scream at Spindrall, ask him why he did not take Kory under his wing, but she just couldn't bring herself to do so. She was just so tired. She just wanted to sleep. And so, she did so.

She opened her datapad, finding a little notification stating she had received an attachment. While navigating the datapad was still difficult, she managed to bring up the map to the Academy. Following the map, she crossed the Academy, eventually entering the dorm section of the Academy, and soon she arrived at her quarters.

Pressing the control panel for the door, she waited for it to open up with the familiar hiss, revealing where she would be sleeping for the next year or so. It was a small room, spartan, with a single bunk bed in the far left corner. On the other end of the room were two desks, both with what looked to be two computers sitting upon them with desk chairs waiting to be filled. Next to the desks, were two trunks, one of who belonged to her.

Looking at the bunk bed and the second trunk, something clicked. Apparently, somewhere in this massive complex, she had a roommate. Who? She had no idea, but by the name on the trunk, it certainly was not anyone she knew.

Drifting to her trunk, she quickly opened it up. She unthreaded her training sabers scabbard and placed her training saber near her trunk, while she pulled out the robes she had been given by Lord Juyn. She was dirty, and she knew it. Monster gore and tomb dust covered her, and she wanted to be clean before hopping into bed.

Finding the showers was simple enough, being built quite close by to the dorms, so it did not take much time to get clean – just a short walk and a short shower. Soon enough, she was done, dressed in her robes with her uniform sent off to get washed, though, like the taxi, it did take some money from her account.

With that done, she headed back to her room, ready for bed.

The durasteel door of her dorm room slid open with a hiss, revealing her quarters once again. But this time, she was not alone. Standing the centre of the room was a crimson-skinned Sith Pureblood practising some lightsaber katas with what looked like an ivory broadsword. She reminded Louise quite a bit of Rayne, though there were several differences like her long hair and the lack of perpetual scowl… oh, and the fact she was completely nude and sweaty.

Then it got worse as the Sith seemed to notice that someone was standing at the door. Their eyes locked, green on pink and suddenly, Louise found herself emulating a deer caught by a hungry drake.

And then, as if to defy all laws of how horrible a day could be, the Sith said in the most cheerful voice she had ever heard, "You must be my new roommate!"


	6. (2) Making Friends

**Chapter 2 – Making Friends**

* * *

An awkward silence hung in the air as Louise gazed slack-jawed at the naked Pureblood who stood before her. Said Pureblood shifted uncomfortably under the petrified girl's eyes, not sure what to do.

"Hey, ah, could you close the… um, door?" she asked, shivering slightly, the cold air from the halls wafting inside.

At first, Louise did not respond, her accursed eyes drifting, unwillingly taking in each and every detail of the woman before her. She was young, younger than Rayne, with shoulder length hair partially held out of her eyes by three spurs that jutted seamlessly from where her eyebrows should have been; another pair of spurs, longer than the previous, grew close to the base of the jaw towards the chin, angled slightly lower than the jaw itself. The rest of her body looked human enough, though there were shallow arrow-like ridges that ran down her sternum, ultimately bringing Louise's attention to the girl's shapely bust.

She stared for what seemed like ages but was really only a second or two before she realised what she was doing and snapped from her stupor.

"Roommate?" Louise asked, her eyes darting up to meet the Sith's, her throat suddenly dry. Then, as if suddenly realising what was happening, she spun around, slapping her hands over her eyes as her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

Louise had forgotten about the roommate system. It was relatively minor change, so she really did not pay it much mind. With there being many millions of students, it was found that doubling up dorms was an easy way to be economic with space while also making sure that rival acolytes would not capitalise on sleeping in the same room. The only issue was that she thought that Kory was going to be her roommate when she first heard… though that would be quite difficult now.

"Could you please put some clothes on!?" Louise shouted, fumbling as she tried to access the door control panel to close the door.

"What's wrong?" the Pureblood asked in a way that told Louise that the girl honestly did not understand what was wrong with her lack of dress. "Afraid of seeing some skin?"

"Clothes now!" Louise demanded in outrage.

The Pureblood sighed. "Oh, come now, don't be such a prude."

"I am not a prude!"

"Sure you aren't," she replied sardonically. There was a pause, some shuffling and then the distinct and subtle sound of fabric being manipulated before the woman spoke. "Done, clothed now."

Taking a chance, Louise turned to face the Sith, peeking through her fingers. "Thank Brimir…" The Sith was no longer nude, now dressed in a short dark bathrobe.

"Names Lyira," the Pureblood said, after a moment's pause, "Nice to meet you."

Louise raised an eye at the introduction. However, still wanting to be polite, she introduced herself, if bluntly. "Louise."

"Louise?" Lyira echoed, "Odd name. Certainly not Imperial."

Still riding high from the abysmal first impression, Louise reply was heated. "My name is not odd," she said coldly, "If think here was odd, it would be you!"

"Me? How am I the odd one, little Miss Pink-hair-and-eyes," Lyira retorted, gesturing to the pinkette.

"I am not little, and my hair and eyes are perfectly normal!" shouted Louise, her self-consciousness flaring under the amused gaze of the green eyed Sith. "You're the one who was training naked!"

"I will train however I feel," Lyira replied, sticking her nose in the air as she crossed her arms crossed over her chest. "What's your problem?"

Louise growled, jabbing a finger at her apparent roommate. "You! You're my problem!" she said, suddenly feeling hot as the shock from before wore off, like she was burning up on the inside, her breathing becoming deeper. Her clothes felt uncomfortable as if there were little needles prickling against her skin.

"Hey, I was just trying to joke around," Lyira replied defensively.

"I don't care, you–you—" Louise stuttered, trying to find the right words to articulate her anger properly— "b-big breasted… nudists hussy!"

The room was suddenly silent, only her breathing making any noise. Then, laughter, howling and mocking. Lyira was laughing, laughing at her as if this was some big joke. Louise's blood boiled with each second the woman laughed, her body physically shuddering with mirth.

"Is that your problem!?" she asked incredulously as her laughter faded away, holding her sides as if they were hurting. "My boobs? What? Are you self-conscious of your lackin–"

The crack of flesh hitting flesh silenced the room once again. Lyira had recoiled back, shock plastered on her face as she held her cheek. Louise glared daggers at the woman, raw rage palpable in the air as it seeped from her burning core.

"What was that for!?" demanded the Pureblood.

"Don't you _dare_ say that!" Louise snapped.

"Or what?" she questioned, putting a hand on her hip. "You'll slap me again?"

Louise did not reply, her body shaking with rage. Calling upon the Force, it answered her demand quickly; her training saber flew from its resting place beside her trunk, slapping into her hand. In one fluid motion she brought the saber up, jabbing it at the girl threateningly. She was exhausted and had enough violence for today, but anger boiled in her veins and she knew that if she had to, she would shut the girl up with force.

Lyira recoiled, her own hand summoning forth her discarded sword, bringing it up to stop the training saber where it stayed. "Fine, if you want a fight, then let's fight!"

The two moved quickly, both bringing their weapons back to attack the other. Lyira was the fastest, lunging at Louise quickly and effectively. Louise parried, hissing as she used her saber to redirect the stab before following up with a slash of her own.

Soon the fight was in full swing and almost immediately, Louise realised just how skilled Lyira was. Unlike Louise who wielded her training blade as if it were just a weapon, Lyira's wielded her strange blade as if it were an extension of herself—each slash and lunge made being quick and precise as she danced around the pink-haired girl like water. Yet, even with her skill, Louise not once felt the ivory blade ever so much as graze her whenever the Pureblood took advantage of the various openings she left.

Nonetheless, Louise continued fighting on regardless, lost in a rage. She did not wish to kill her Pureblood, she had enough killing today, but the desire to get revenge for the insults thrown at her was too strong to ignore. But her anger left her unfocused and soon, the fight ended with a strong kick to her gut.

The pain was nothing, the runes numbing anything she would have felt, but it could not stop the strange sensation in her gut. She tried standing, eyes alight with hate and indignation, but before she could, her eyes found themselves looking at her robes which she could feel slipping from her petite form.

They… they were ruined. Cut and sliced in various areas, leaving gaping holes where pale flesh and underclothes visible to all. Her gift, torn to shreds, now nothing more than strips of black cloth bearly hanging to her body.

"No, no, no, no…" she mumbled, dropping her training saber and grasping at her torn robes, trying to hold it together in a vain attempt to somehow fuse the clean cuts together again, her eyes burning as tears attempted to run. "What did you do!?" she cried.

"Hey, you started this!" Lyira spat back, glaring at Louise.

"Get out…" Louise said, her voice wavering, pointing at the door.

Lyira snorted. "It's just clothes."

"I said get out!" Louise demanded, tears now running freely from narrow hate filled eyes as she thrust her finger towards the door. "Just get out!" Not even bothering to see if the Pureblood heeded her words, she crawled pathetically over to her trunk, opening it to replace her damaged clothes.

"I hate this, I can't…" she snivelled under her breath, her voice hitching as she spoke. She continued, muttering under her breath, cursing what her life had become, cursing Harkun and her roommate, and the Sith Empire itself. Her hands groped for one of the red jackets of one of her acolyte uniforms, pulling one free. Next, her robes were removed, sliding off her body easily despite the damage, leaving her sitting in nothing but her smallclothes, trousers, and boots.

A quiet, horrified gasp was heard from behind her. "You're—"

"Get out!" Louise hissed, turning to glare daggers at the Sith. Lyira did not respond at first, instead looking a few shades lighter than before, gaping at the pinkette with eyes that oozed pity. In the next, Lyira looked to the floor, turning, and finally left the room.

Now alone, Louise felt suddenly exhausted. She had no idea what time it was, but she just wanted the day to _end_.

Summoning what little strength she had, she flicked off the artificial lights and crawled onto the bottom bunk, wishing beyond hope that the day would just end. Unfortunately, her wish was left unanswered, leaving her staring up at the bottom of the top bunk, silently fuming, raging against the nightmare that was the Academy. Only after what seemed like ages did she fall into a restless sleep, plagued by nightmares, horrific reflections of her time in the alien galaxy.

Then, it changed. A calming presence washed over her, and her nightmares vanished, replaced by the serene void, just as it had long ago.

...

When Louise woke up in the morning, she still felt drained. All the anger and hatred of the day before was absent, now replaced with dread. This was her life now. Stuck in an Academy filled with butcherers and psychopaths.

Shaking her head, she tried to focus on the problem at hand; the room was dark. Pulling herself up off the bed, she tried walking to the door control panel to turn on the light, but before she could even take a step towards the door, she cried out in pain, curses ready to launch from her tongue. Something clanked against the ground as she fell back onto her bed, holding her toe which throbbed painfully, her teeth gritted.

Once the pain abated, she summoned lightning to hand, arcs jumping from finger to finger, lighting the room in a dull purple glow. Using the lightning as a torch, she lit up whatever she hit her toe on, only to find one of the desk chairs before her, though, there was more; a plain box sat on the coal coloured seat with a small plain piece of paper sitting skewed atop.

Stepping around the chair, she made her way to the door control panel, turning on the lights as she dismissed the lightning. Squinting at the sudden change in brightness, she made her way back to her bed, flopping onto it with a grunt, still feeling lethargic from sleep.

Louise looked at the box and the piece of paper, confused as to what it was and who put it there. For a second, she thought it was from her roommate and suddenly, she was on edge. Cautiously, she summoned the Force to pick up the piece of paper—not sure if it was safe to touch or not—and examined it.

It was a note.

' _Luiiz,_

 _I wanted to apologise for my actions the day before, but I'm not sure whether you would have accepted such an apology. So, I wanted to give you a token of good faith. I don't want to be enemies with you and I'm sorry. I think we should have a talk about what happened the day before._

 _Lyira Arrn_.

 _P.S. I didn't know how to spell your name, I tried my best._ '

Once Louise finished reading the note, she continued staring at it, trying to process what was written. _Was this what it was like to get an apology_? She thought. She honestly had no idea. The closest thing she ever got to one were Éléonore's insincere apologies whenever she got caught teasing her littlest sister or ones that servants were expected to give at any misstep.

Setting the note down beside her, she looked at the box apprehensively, not sure what 'token of good faith' lay beyond the cardboard box. She felt a little less sure that it was something malignant, but the thought still stayed in her mind—perhaps Lyira wanted to lull her into a false sense of security. Nevertheless, her insatiable curiosity won over in the end, cautiously moving the box from its place on the chair and onto her lap, unfolding the lid to see what lay inside.

 _Clothes_? Louise thought confused.

No, it was more than just clothes, it was her robes; the colours and designs unmistakeable to her eyes. Confused and slightly riled by the fact Lyira's gift being the robes she ruined, Louise removed the lump of fabric, only to find there was more. Placing the robes to her side, she dug deeper and found what appeared to be another robe and two sets of underwear made from some simple black synthweave—a type of inexpensive artificial fabric.

Louise blinked at the 'tokens of good faith,' still unsure. Setting the box aside, she took the second robe in hand and stood up to have a proper look at it. Coloured mainly in black with highlights and designs of purples, the hooded robes were long and loose sleeved, cut waist length at the front and ankle length at the back.

It was well made, not expertly, but well nonetheless.

Now further confused and curious, she hung the robe over the chair, picking up what looked to be her damaged robes, examining it further. What she found surprised her. The robes were not damaged, but completely repaired, as if the fight never happened.

Louise had no idea what to think on the token, the gift. If she was honest with herself, she knew nothing about the Pureblood, but they certainly did not have a good first impression each other… and the more she thought about it, and as much as she hated to say it, she probably made their first encounter worse than it could have been.

Looking between the different articles of clothing, Louise could not help but feel stupid. She took her anger out on someone she did not even know—in her defence, she was having one of the worst days of her life; not only had she been forced to fight in some kind of cruel blood sport, but she had just watched Kory die horribly in front of her and she was powerless to do anything to stop it. She knew it was no excuse and it certainly did not justify her actions, but the facts were there.

Sighing, Louise set the robes down. While she might have preferred spending the entire day contemplating the strange gift and her even stranger roommate, she was an Acolyte of the Sith Academy and after what she saw the day before… she did not want to know what would happen if she skipped class.

So, with that in mind, she quickly collected her datapad, remembering that her schedule was to be sent today. Opening it up, she found herself confronted with an urgent notification from Assistant Overseer Markan in the form of mail—or as it was called in the Empire, holomail.

Dread filled her as she imagined the various classes the Academy would offer. At first, she thought the classes would be similar to the ones of her homeworld, but the events of yesterday twisted her expectations to something crueller. Bracing herself, she began to read the letter.

' _Acolyte Louise,_

 _Welcome to the Korriban Academy, the most prestigious academy in the grand Empire._

 _Below is the list_ _of courses you have been enrolled in for your benefit. While these courses are not mandatory, it would be prudent for you to attend the lectures and classes lest you wish to earn the ire of Overseer Harkun and Lord Zash both. Due to your nature as slave-caste, it has been decided that your education will be modified to fix whatever holes you have in your education._

 _These core courses are as follows:_

 _\- Back to Basics: Weapons training.  
\- Back to Basics: Hand-to-hand combat  
\- Back to Basics: Physical Education.  
\- Back to Basics: Force Techniques.  
\- Back to Basics: Sith Philosophy.  
\- Remedial Classes: History.  
\- Remedial Classes: Culture.  
\- Remedial Classes: Language.  
\- Remedial Classes: Maths._

 _Your martial classes will be instructed by Lord Samus while Sith Philosophy, Force Techniques and Physical Exercise will be instructed by either me or Overseer Harkun himself. The remedial classes will be taught at the Korriban Preparatory School by the various teachers there._

 _Should your teachers find that you have reached an adequate level of education, you will be free to cease attending the class in place of various other courses available to acolytes in the Academy. If you wish to be assigned any other courses, please contact either me or Overseer Harkun. If you feel as if you do not wish to continue your remedial courses for whatever reason, please contact either me or Overseer Harkun and we will discuss your future._

 _As the Academy is quite large, you will have two days free from training to become familiar enough with the layout of the academy._

 _Attached is your schedule detailing the various classes you have been assigned, what times these classes are on and where they are located._

 _Also attached is a document detailing the various courses one may take at the Academy to further their education._

 _Once again, I will remind you that your core courses are important and should not be wasted. I will also remind you that your trial is due on the 35th of next month. I doubt you need reminding of what happens it you fail your trial._

 _Regards,  
Assistant Overseer Markel._'

Scrolling to the bottom of the letter, she opened the schedule attachment and found herself surprised by what she saw. She already knew Korriban had longer days, but she hoped that would mean more time for herself—unfortunately, she was wrong.

No, instead, the twenty-eight-hour days of Korriban were pretty much booked with only one one-and-a-half-hour break after lunch. The only solace being the last day of the five-day week: Won'ijz, or as it was known in Basic, Freedom-day. Fitting.

For the first two days of the week, Shâsot'ijz and Tyûk'ijz, she was scheduled to attend physical exercise classes before breakfast, leading into weapons training, lunch, her only free period, philosophy, Force training, dinner, and ending with an alternation of maths or languages depending on which day.

The final two days of the school week, Midwan'ijz and Asha'ijz, switched out exercise for hand-to-hand combat, weapons training for Force training, philosophy for history or culture depending on the day, Force training for weapons training, before the day finally ended once again with an alternation of maths and language.

Overall, it was going to be tough, especially as she was stuck with Harkun for most of those days.

Louise shook her head, she could worry about classes later. For now, she just wanted to explore the Academy, perhaps look into a few places where her classes would be held. So, with that in mind, Louise cleaned up her room—putting the tokens of good faith away in their box—and got changed into a clean uniform, strapped her training saber to her waist, tied up her hair in a simple ponytail and left the room.

...

The idea that the Academy had a prison complex was strange but unsurprising. The Tristain Academy of Magic also had a dungeon, but it was barely used—in fact, Louise could not remember ever hearing about it being used. The Sith Academy, on the other hand, housed several prisoners, each restrained by energy cages, metal cages or even stocks. Whether they be criminals, murderers, rapists and the like, Louise had no idea, but with her current view of the Empire, it wouldn't be much of a stretch that being _kind_ would lead to immediate imprisonment or execution.

After leaving her dorm behind, Louise tried her best to find her way around the labyrinthian halls of the Academy. The place was simply massive, and she knew she would need some form of public transportation to get around. Fortunately, transportation was easy to come by, with various checkpoints scattered around the different parts of the Academy, each ferrying students back and forth around the campus.

Her first stop had been at the outdoor training field. There she saw many acolytes and even some Sith—if the lightsaber they used was any indication—scattered around the place, each of them training and sparing, whether it be with a lightsaber, their fists, or the Force. Some were even exercising, doing various workout routines while their Overseer's and instructors barked orders at them.

Soon after that, she took a tour around the other buildings where her lectures and classes would be held, quickly finding herself amazed by the resources the Academy held; whether it be the massive libraries or the museum, the intricate training rooms or simulation chambers, or even the art studios and laboratories. The Academy seems to have everything one could need to follow their passions.

What else was the architecture. Unlike the other modern Imperial constructs she was used to, this one seemed to deviate from the norm. It was not built entirely in the utilitarian designs that she came to expect from the Empire, but its own mix of modern and ancient architecture, but it was more than that, almost as if it was its own style. Stonework and metal merged beautifully with bold lines and colours decorating the walls, with different pieces of art decorating the buildings inside and out, whether it be a sculpture, canvas art, or intricate wall carvings.

At first, Louise had been confused—if the Empire could create such beautiful architecture, why had she not seen it before? Where was it on Elu? Where was it on the _Kryton_? Though the answer came soon enough the more she thought about it. Perhaps the Empire did not wish to waste frivolous resources on ships and backwater slave compounds; from what she understood, the Sith were currently at war with the Republic, so it would make sense that the most detailed constructions were not war machines or mines but places of interest, such as their academies.

Whatever the reason, Louise was still amazed with the beautiful work she saw around her as she moved. Apparently, there was even a garden somewhere near the science block, but that was not her goal in the end. Instead, she decided to look into her trial, perhaps ask whoever Inquisitor Zyn was about what it would entail. Already she dreaded finding out, especially considering her previous trial, but she at least wanted to know beforehand.

So, there she stood, in the middle of the prison, looking around for Zyn. The prison, much like the rest of the Academy, was quite large, but with a map, it was easier to navigate, especially as traffic seemed to be near non-existent.

As Louise looked, she could not help but feel drawn to the prisoners, her mind a flurry with questions on why they were imprisoned. Most looked underfed, empty with their wills crushed as they sat quietly in their cells. She tried talking to a few but stopped after all recoiled from her in terror, their eyes never reaching her own. It was… Louise did not know—for all she knew, they committed horrible, horrible crimes that made what Harkun did to Kory a mercy—but it still left an uncomfortable pit in her gut.

Louise shook her head, trying to avert her gaze as she went back to finding Zyn, but before she could leave the chamber she paused, something peculiar stopping her. It was a strange, unnatural to the pinkette. Like a white flame burning in the suffocating darkness… sterile and pure, burning away everything it touched, yet drowning by the tsunami of darkness around it. It was the Force, but not like the Force she had ever felt before. It was just... _wrong_.

Her curiosity piqued, Louise followed the strangeness to the other end of the chamber, a door standing between her and whatever was creating the sensation. She opened the door and the sounds of a man muttering under his breath drifted to her ears. "…Knowledge. There is no Passion, only Serenity. There is no Chaos, only Harmony…"

The room was small and square, lit by a single dull white light from above. The walls, like the rest of the prison, were a dark mahogany with beige brick flooring, but that was unimportant. No, instead it was the strange man who sat lotus style in the cold room, muttering under his breath. His head was lulled, as if he were tried, trying not to full asleep, but his posture was straight and orderly.

"Uh, hello?" Louise spoke, starting slightly as the door hissed closed behind her.

The man stopped his muttering, his eyes blinking opening, confusion spreading across his features as he regarded Louise with unfocused dark eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped, considering his words as his eyes darted around taking in the girl before her. The prisoner looked to be in horrible condition; his skin was pale and clammy, bruising could be seen on his arms and head, and he looked so thin.

"Your… your eyes," he said, voice slightly slurred and harsh, "they're pink. Your hair as well."

Louise blinked at the man's statement, looking just as confused as he was. "Yes…" she said slowly, "I was born like this."

The look he gave her could be surmised as 'that's bull, but okay,' but soon returned to confusion. "You're one of the acolytes, aren't you?" he asked, receiving a hesitant nod in reply—it was unnerving how eerily calm he was. "Wh… why are you here? Were you sent here by your dark masters?"

 _Dark masters?_ Louise thought befuddled. "No. I was looking for Inquisitor Zyn when I sensed something strange," she said. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The man stared at her for the longest time, seemingly lost in a daze. "I… am a Jedi?" he said, sounding surprised by his own admission. Louise herself was a surprise; she had heard of the Jedi from Lord Juyn and what she heard was anything but good. "Yes, even in here, I am a Jedi Knight."

"I've never met a Jedi before," Louise admitted, and despite what she had heard, she was still curious about the Order. "What's your name?"

"Name? My name… Why would you…?" he trailed off, looking off into the distance. "I am Quorian Dorjis. Tell me, why… why would you talk to me? Why are you so civil? In all my time here on the planet, I have not been spoken to so courteously by anyone, no less an acolyte."

"I was just curious," Louise explained. "All I've learned about the Jedi were from Lord Juyn, and I'm curious about what they're like."

"I assume he was biased…" he muttered, seemingly far more lucid then he was before. "Do you wish to learn about the Jedi from me?"

"I guess," Louise said, sitting down on the floor.

"Well, ah…" he paused, hesitating. "Sorry, I don't know your name…"

"Louise."

"Ah, well, Louise," he began, perking up a bit. "I'm not much of a teacher, but I'll try my best. But to start, what have you been told?"

"Well," Louise began, trying to think back to the talks she had with Juyn over the months. "Lord Juyn said that you pretend to be peacekeepers of the galaxy while letting the Republic order you around. That, uh, the Jedi are hypocritical, preaching about peace and order but fighting and killing anyone who opposes…" She knew she could say more, but she did not want to insult the man before her. Personally, Louise did not know what she felt about what Juyn had said. Apparently, the Jedi had committed genocide upon the Sith, killing countless men, women and children, and destroying so much history and culture, but she did not know how much was true.

"Yes, that sounds like something the Sith would say to discredit us," Quorian said, not sounding amused at all. "The Jedi are fighters for peace and prosperity, we defend the galaxy against anyone who threatens it. It is true, we do fight, but we do so only as a last resort. We're polymaths, bringing peace across the galaxy, helping people with charity, volunteering and fighting against evil. We have fought in wars, yes, but we do not kill people just because they oppose us. We're merciful, not cruel monsters."

Whether or not he was talking about the Sith or not, Louise did not know, but the hints of venom in his voice were worrying. Nonetheless, he continued, "Much like the Sith, we have a code which is the core of our Order: 'There is no Emotion, only Peace. There is no Ignorance, only Knowledge. There is no Passion, only Serenity. There is no Chaos, only Harmony. There is no Death, only the Force.'

"We live by this code and it dictates how our Order is run. With our code, we try and do what is best for the galaxy and try to do good for everyone," he said.

Louise considered his words. The Jedi certainly sounded like a heroic and knightly order, but even then, there was a possibility that Quorian was lying—not only that, but his code was… uncomfortable to think on. 'There is no Emotion, only Peace,' was certainly the antithesis of the Sith, but the Jedi Code did not sound like something an order of peacekeeping warriors should hold.

Before she could think more about what she had learned, Quorian had a question for her. "Do you hate the Jedi?"

Louise blinked at the question, "No… I… I don't know?" she replied, unsure, not really knowing what to or to not think. "I didn't even know about the Jedi until late last year and only learned about the Sith a few weeks before that. I… I don't even know what's going on anymore." She knew it was stupid to break down at such a simple question, and she was certainly not going to cry, but she certainly felt like it.

"Are you okay?" asked Quorian.

"No."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

They sat in silence for a moment, neither party knowing how to continue, both thinking over what the other said. However, this silence soon ended after Louse found herself wishing a second opinion on something. "Can I ask you for your opinion on something?" she asked.

The Jedi nodded. "Yes, you may."

"I wanted to know…" Louise began, unsure of how to explain what happened, "recently, I was in an argument with someone and it soon became physical. Nobody got hurt, I don't actually think it was going to get dangerous. But during the fight, this person broke something that belonged to me on purpose. She didn't know it was a gift or anything and she tried apologising after… I'm asking whether I should accept her apology."

"I would say yes," Quorian, said. "As a Jedi, I would recommend it. I wouldn't know what a Sith would do…"

"Thank you, sir Dorjis," Louise replied, using the honorific usually associated with knights.

The Jedi looked pleased, though oddly confused. "This has been a very enlightening talk." he said joyfully, "I thank you for your kindness… despite your affiliation."

"Yes, think you as well," she replied.

"May the Force be with you."

Quickly remembering _why_ she was in the prison, Louise quickly went about trying to find Inquisitor Zyn. Fortunately, it did not take long.

As she wandered through the prison, she was startled by a voice from behind her.

"Acolyte," the masculine voice said, drawing her attention, "you would happen to be Louise, would you?"

The owner of the voice was a large man, in both height and size, and was dressed in rich purple robes with a lightsaber hanging from his hip. His face was round, topped with short curly and grey hair and he had burgundy markings that looked like the rays of sunlight shooting from his mouth, along with long wings shooting from his eyes. It looked a bit like makeup, but she could tell they were tattoos.

"Uh, yes, my lord," Louise replied, inclining her head respectfully.

"Ah, you really do have pink hair and eyes…" he muttered with a slight smirk. "I am Inquisitor Zyn, I assume you are here for your trial?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Quite early… Come, come," he said jovially, gesturing for Louise to follow as he walked passed her, deeper into the prison, "your trial is this way."

They passed a few chambers and descended a staircase leading to the underground portion of the prison. It was here that Louise started to notice more people mulling about, mostly acolytes, armed guards and the hollow husks otherwise known as the prisoners. If she was unsure about how she felt before, she was extremely confused and disturbed.

Nevertheless, they continued walking on. However, the sight of the prisoners brought many questions to mind, more pressingly, "What is my trial?"

Inquisitor Zyn hummed as he walked, not answering her questions for quite a while until he said chipperly, "Interrogation. During your time as a slave, you were known to be submissive and obedient."

As he said this, Louise could not help but feel like closing in on herself, her mind casting back to the horrible punishments she was inflicted during her stay on Elu. Being submissive and obedient, even to the point of straining herself, was the only way to avoid such horror. She thought the coming of the Sith was providence as her punishments, as well as the punishments of the slaves around her, were lessened drastically—but now…?

The Inquisitor continued. "Here, however, you will be forced to break these chains and learn to control others, and I have just the trial for you." As he said this, the two approached a shut door, guarded by two Imperial Guardsmen. With a dramatic wave of his hand, the door opened, revealing a small chamber filled with what looked to be a series of what could only be torture tables. One was occupied. "Meet this drivelling excuse for an acolyte, Alif Orn. He will be your victim."

Louise could not help but stare at the acolyte in shock, her eyes wide as she asked, "Victim?"

"I personally prefer the word 'subject' myself," he said distastefully with a heavy sigh, "but most can only comprehend such crass terms." He shook her head. "A short while ago, there was a murder here in the Academy—a rivalry among apprentices resulted in death. Interrogate Alif; make him tell you who committed this crime at all cost."

Looking between Alif and Zyn, Louise waited for someone to jump out and tell her this was some practical joke. It had to be a joke. But there was no sign of it being a joke—there was no mischievous smirk tugging at Zyn's lips and the acolyte was beaten and bruised, laying bound with tight metal binds, his injuries far to realistic to be makeup. She was to interrogate the acolyte, perhaps even torture him.

…At all costs…

"Do you mean by any means?" Louise asked, dreading the answer. She would not, could not torture a man, especially an innocent one whose only crime being audience to a murder. She had killed; killed pirates and a murderous fallen acolyte, but torture? No. The idea made her feel sick.

"Yes, any. All I need is the name of the murderer. You could tap-dance the answer out of him, if you wished," he said offhandedly.

With this, Louise had to stop herself from sighing in relief. While she would not even try to 'tap-dance the answer out of him'— _I don't even know what tap-dancing is!_ She thought—but knowing she was not being forced torture another to live was like a blessing from the gods—not that they've helped her with anything else. With this in mind, she walked over to Alif who, unfortunately, recoiled away from Louise. "Please, don't hurt me. I don't know anything…" he cried weakly, trying to struggle against his binds, but he seemed far too frail to do much.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she said, hoping beyond hope to calm the man down, her eyes washing over him—taking in each and every detail of his broken body. Upon closer inspection, the bruises against his arms seemed to be hand marks, her mind conjuring images of Alif struggling against the strong grip of the Academy guards. His nose seemed to be broken and his eye, bruised, as if a strong fist had attempted to knock him out with a punch; whether or not is succeeded was beyond Louise. He was dressed in a dishevelled acolyte uniform, matching his equally dishevelled short red hair. "I just want to know who murdered the other apprentice."

"Yeah, right," he replied despondently, regarding her with critical eyes. "I'll tell you right now, I don't know anything…"

"If that were true, you wouldn't be here," Louise said, a little bit of edge creeping into her voice—she did not wish to torture him but neither did she wish to die, and Alif was certainly not helping. "Please, let me help you. If you don't tell me, someone else would come in and they might not think twice about using more… painful means." She paused, letting what she said sink in. "Let me help you for your own benefit."

Alif was quiet for a time, staring at Louise with confused blue eyes. "I… don't understand. Why don't you just torture me and get it over with?"

Louise wanted to growl, or at least sigh tiredly. "Because I don't want to," she answered calmly, feeling the Inquisitor's eyes boring into her back. But she ignored him and focused on Alif, pleading clear in her eyes.

"You're a slave-caste, aren't you?" Alif asked, his gaze turning sad as he looked at her before turning away. "I—I can't tell you because he will kill me."

"If you tell me I will make sure you're safe," Louise said quickly, before even thinking.

Alif considered her words for a moment. "I… fine, I will tell you who the murderer is, but promise me that, that the murderer will get justice—that he won't come kill me."

Seeing her chance, Louise nodded eagerly. "I promise. You have my word that I will try everything in my power to make sure you are safe from the murderer and that he'll get the justice he deserves."

"As strange as it sounds coming from me, I appreciate that," Alif said before taking a deep, sobering breath before saying, "An apprentice named Esorr Kayin—I saw him murder another apprentice outside the second floor of the main library. Listen, his master is incredibly powerful… he won't let Kayin be punished. Kayin _will_ kill me."

"Don't worry, I'll handle that," Louise replied, though not knowing precisely _how_ she would.

"Thank you, I hope you know what you're doing," he said, relaxing back onto the torture table.

Louise turned, heading back to the Inquisitor, but before she could open her mouth to talk, he beat her to the punch. "You don't have to tell me," he said resignedly, holding up a hand to forestall any reply. "I heard the name loud and clear, though I sorely wish I hadn't. Esorr Kayin… Kayin's master is a Dark Council member. I'd be a fool to oppose him."

The pinkette's shoulders slouched—she only had a vague understanding of who the Dark Council was; a collection of twelve of the most powerful Sith Lords who served under the Emperor, governing over the Empire—but from what she knew, they were incredibly powerful and terrifying to oppose. Nevertheless, she needed to try to save Alif; her honour demanded it. "Isn't there something you could do for Alif?"

"Concerns for matters that are not your business is a weakness that can get you killed," chided the Inquisitor, his tone of voice taking on a nervous tinge. "I suggest you eliminate this undesirable trait as quickly as possible and forget about this acolyte."

"But, my lord, it is my business," Louise retorted, the edge in her voice returning quickly. "He—" She paused, quickly trying to think of a reason _why_ it was her business that would be accepted by the Inquisitor, but quickly found nothing. So, instead, she tried to play on Zyn's emotions— "ah, you're not backing out because of the Council member, are you?"

The Inquisitor looked as if he was very much wanting to strangle Louise for the jab at his pride, and she would not put it past him. "And what would you suggest?" he argued. "I don't have the power to oppose a _Councillor_ , and neither do you."

"Are you telling me that you're allowing yourself to be bullied?" Louise pressed, finding herself incensed that he was letting his wellbeing get in the way of justice.

The Inquisitor sighed. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to keep him here while the master of the murdered apprentice perused justice," Zyn proposed, however, Louise could still see a major flaw with the plan.

"Yes, leave him here, tied down to a table in a room that seems easy enough to open in a prison right next to the seat of the Dark Council," Louise replied sardonically. "At least get someone to guard him or, better, get him off-world!"

The Inquisitor seemed to consider her ultimatums for a moment. "Getting him off-world is no simple matter… but there is a Darth on Dromund Kaas who owes me a favour…" For a moment, he looked thoughtful as if trying to remember their name. "I'll make sure she takes this fool as her apprentice. He'll be out of Kayin's reach, but from there, he's on his own."

"Thank you, my lord."

He shook his head. "Now, onto the business of your trail; before I send my commendations to Harkun, I would like to ask you a question to… better understand and grade you."

"Yes, my lord?"

"You said that you did not wish to torture him. Why?" the Sith asked. The question was innocent enough, considering the subject matter, but Louise knew that the answer would either gain Zyn's respect or would make her lose favour.

"It depends on the… _subject_ ," Louise tried to explain. "His only crime was being a witness, so torture was unnecessary and unjust. Had he committed the murder, or had he continued to hide the murderer's identity, I would have thought differently." It was a lie; Louise had no idea what she would do if he had been an actual criminal or had he stayed quiet. She just could not see herself torturing the man.

"Interesting," he said, stroking his chin. "Acolyte, you have an usual approach. Watch that it doesn't get you into trouble," the Inquisitor said, sounding quite amused and even proud despite the warning. "Anyway, your trial here is done. You are free to go."

"Thank you, my lord," replied Louise, bowing in respect before turning to leave, briefly looking to a thankful Alif.

With that, she existed the chamber, quickly leaving the prison entirely. As she did, her stomach gurgled, reminding her that food was a thing—it was funny, she often forgot that she could have more than a single meal a day. Checking the time on her datapad, she found that it was quite late in the day, near dinner time according to her schedule. With this, she decided to check out one of the various mess halls or canteens around the Academy.

...

Louise… honestly had no idea where she was. She knew she was at one of the many canteens, but where in relation to the main administration building of the Academy, she was completely lost. The canteen was attached to what seemed to be one of the various science buildings—xenobiology, last she checked.

Large enough to fit over one-hundred patrons, the place was filled with quite a few Sith and acolytes, each enjoying their food and drinks. It looked nothing like any eateries she had visited, whether it be the more technologically advanced than the Academy of Magic's Alvíss Dining Hall or the mess hall of the slave compound—it was nicer, with chairs that were far more comfortable and crafted finely, though they were built less for nobility and more for the average student. These chairs were grouped in fours with, around small metal benches, all built for the economic use of space rather than personal space, with a long counter filled with food built off to the right of the canteen.

Quickly paying for a tray of food for herself—made up entirely of foodstuffs that she recognised, such as steaks, and vegetables—she drifted by several of the tables, looking for a place to sit. As she searched, her eyes caught a familiar figure, freezing slightly as she wondered what the odds were of the two deciding to eat in this particular eatery at this particular time. However, she could come up with no reason, so, instead, Louise was met by another issue: should she ignore the crimson-skinned girl, or should she get it over with and sit with the girl to discuss their… not too stellar first meeting.

In the end, Louise decided to get it over with.

Taking a deep breath, Louise waded past the multitude of benches, a part of her mind desperately shouting at her to turn back. But before it could make an effect, she arrived at the table. Lyira sat quietly, eating what looked like some type of red soup, unaware of the pinkette standing behind her.

"Hey, um," she began, her sudden voice startling Lyira who's head snapped towards her, surprise and confusion plain in her eyes, "is this seat taken?"

"…I'm sorry?" Lyira replied, her confusion growing as her surprise faded away.

"I asked if the seat was taken," Louise repeated awkwardly, gesturing to the empty seats surrounding her.

"Um, no, it's not…"

Slumping into the chair opposite the Pureblood, Louise began to dig into her meal, feeling quite uncomfortable with the silence that hung over the two. Louise wanted to speak, but could not find the words, and so waited to see if Lyira would start the conversation, only it seemed the Pureblood was at a loss as well. So, it was halfway through her meal that Louise finally decided to start. "I… uh, finished my second trial…"

"That was quick. I still have mine to finish…" replied the Pureblood, softly.

The awkward silence fell once again, and once again, it was ended by the pinkette. "I…" Louise began, uncertain, "I wanted to thank you for the gift and…I'm… I'm sorry that I hit you… "

Lyira took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry I ruined your clothes as well… I didn't know they meant so much."

"It was a gift…" she mumbled.

"Oh, well, still I'm sorry," the Sith restated awkwardly. "Listen, I, um, don't think this is the best place to discuss this, we should take it back to the dorm."

Louise could not help but agree.

The two quickly finished their meals, rising up from the bench before depositing their dishes at the counter. With that done, the two left the canteen, heading off towards their dorm. It was roughly ten to twenty minutes before they arrived at the dorms and another five before they arrived at their room. Once they entered, Lyira closed the door, before lounging on one of the nearby chairs; Louise chose her bed as her seat.

"So…" Louise began, "I, uh, wanted to explain my actions yesterday."

"You don't have to—"

"No, no," she interrupted, "I just wanted to say that the fight yesterday was less about you and more about everything that went on. Yesterday was not… it was horrible—and then what you said, it reminded me of someone who used to make my life a living hell; teasing me, insulting me endlessly. Yesterday was just a melting pot of everything horrible that's happened coming back," she said, only to add at Lyira's questioning gaze. "I don't want to discuss it."

"Does it have to do wit—"

"I don't want to discuss it," Louise repeated firmly.

The two fell into a silence once again, neither knowing how to continue. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes until Lyira tried her best to resurrect the conversation. "So, what should we do to make sure the fight doesn't happen again?"

"Well, for one, no training in the nude," Louise decreed half-jokingly, feeling some vindictive pleasure from seeing the outraged expression on her roommate's face.

"No! It is far better to train in the nude, especially in the Academy," Lyira said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is."

"No."

"Yes."

" _No_."

" _Yeah_."

"Fine," Louise shouted, "give me one reason why training nude is better, and I will let you."

"Simple: budgeting," Lyira replied simply. "Training makes me sweaty and my clothes dirty. Dirty clothes take credits to clean, just as every other amenity. So, the fewer clothes I get dirty a month, the more credits I can save when we get our monthly pay which I can spend on other things such as food, repairs and even buying new stuff."

Louise smouldered at Lyira—the Pureblood's point was valid, but that only made her resent it more.

"You sure try it," the Pureblood muttered.

"Why would I do that!?" Louise asked, scandalised.

"I just gave you your reasons."

"I'm still not going to do it," she said stubbornly.

"Don't knock it till you try it," Lyira replied.

"Ugh, you're insufferable! Why did I agree to this?" Louise asked rhetorically, only to add a quick, "Don't answer that," when the Sith opened her mouth.

"Fine. If you want to waste your money, then go for it. But I'm going to continue regardless."

Louise continued to smoulder at the girl, but there was no malice in her eyes, just resignation. She knew it was going to be a long year, and—if she survived—she knew Lyira would certainly make it very interesting.

* * *

 **AN:** This is as far as the rewrite goes. Continue at your own risk for shitty writing or wait until the next rewrite is up. You will know the next one is up because I would have posted the next chapter of Act II


	7. (3) A Day in the Life of an Acolyte

**Chapter 7 -Act I- A Day in the Life of an Acolyte**

* * *

"Well, well, well… I was looking forward to cutting another one of you down, but it looks like I'll be spared the trouble. Unsurprisingly, Niloc has gone missing." Said Lord Harkun in a board drawl, "Also unsurprising, Ffon has passed his first trial. It is only time before he tramples you all underfoot."

 _Wait… Ffon isn't up to his second trial_? Louise thought, confused. _It's been two months! Why wouldn't Harkun let him catch up?_

"Now, as for your trials." Harkun continued, "Gerr, slaves have broken free from their chains and are held up in the atrium in Tulak Hord's tomb and have acquired a few artefacts. I want you to kill their leader and get them back.

"Wydr, down in the lower wilds, there is a Sith Lord by the name of Jaric requires your assistance in dealing with a group of prisoners. She will give you your trial.

"Balek, you will get your trial from Inquisitor Urinth in the Academy.

"Now, I wish to speak to Ffon and the mutant. You lot know your trials, you each have two months to finish them. Go."

The three acolytes followed the order, shuffling out the door.

"Now, _Louise_ ," The Overseer spat, "Zyn says you handled yourself expertly, and as much as I find this difficult to believe, Lord Zash is satisfied with his evaluation. Undoubtedly, Zyn helped you in some way, but you will not have his help on the next trial. Both you and Ffon will have trials of intellect -trials that test your ability to apply your understanding of the Force to solve problems."

"You don't expect a slave, a mutant at that, to match me for intellect!?" Cried the pureblood in outrage, "I've been trained under the greatest teachers-"

"Calm down, Ffon." Reprimanded the Overseer, stopping the acolyte from ranting, "I certainly do not expect a mere slave to be a match for you. That's why you will have separate trials.

"Ffon, you will go to the library on the second floor of the Academy and translate the following text," Harkun gestured to a small pile of stone tablets and scrolls, "for Lord Zash; like everyone else, two months."

Ffon bowed as he collected the various texts, then left, grinning viciously at Louise.

"Your trial, slave, is to enter deep into the monster-infested tomb of Marka Ragnos. Inside the tomb is a great stone monument which houses a holocron filled with dark secrets. Nobody has figured out how to release the holocron from its stone prison in over a thousand years. You will bring this to me, or you will die."

"Yes, Overseer," Louise replied, trying her best to not backchat the Sith.

Louise turned and left the room briskly, muttering several curses in her native language. She needed to prepare for her trial, unfair though it may be. Entering the shared bedroom, she found her roommate sitting between the two training dummies, meditating; thankfully in clothing. Or at least she was until Louise entered the room.

"So, how was the meeting?" Lyira asked, her eyes still closed.

"It went… well." She answered, her mind still on the seemingly impossible trial she had been given, "According to Harkun, Inquisitor Zyn said I handle myself expertly. Apparently, Harkun found that outcome impossible, but luckily enough, Lord Zash is not an idiot."

The pureblood huffed, "Good, it doesn't matter what Harkun thinks."

"I know that, 'Harkun may raise his hand to strike, but only Lord Zash determines where the blow will land'" Louise quoted.

"True." Said the Sith, "So, did you get your trial?"

Louise hummed in confirmation, "A Trial of intellect." she proclaimed, "Both Ffon and I have to prove our smarts."

"Surely you'd complete this trial, given the amount of time you spend in the library," Lyira said, flatteringly, opening her eyes for the first time in the conversation.

"So you say, but I, being Harkun's ever so favourite student, have to retrieve a holocron from a tomb." The petite teen explained sarcastically, "A holocron that has been trapped in said tomb for around a thousand years with no one knowing how to release it. Whereas Ffon gets to translate a couple of texts in the safety of the Academy."

The pureblood grimaced, "That's… not right. I mean, fairness isn't one of the Academy's values, but it doesn't- it shouldn't be taken that far."

"Yeah," Louise said, slightly distracted. Truth be told, there were a few things that the Academy allowed that she found barbaric. Then again, she could see why they had it that way, especially when it was explained from the Sith's point of view and it was not like her homeworld was perfect. For one, they did not have indoor plumbing; a godsend, if she did say so herself.

"So, what tomb are you going to go down?" Lyira asked, changing the subject.

"Same as yours: Marka Ragnos'" The pinkette replied.

"Really?" Said her roommate, surprised.

"Yep," Louise confirmed, an idea forming in her head, "Wanna team up and take the tomb on together?"

"Yeah! Though, as long as we don't assist each other with our trials." Lyira warned.

"Of course," The pinkette agreed, "We can head off in the second month of the trial. I need time to do research on Ragnos' tomb and training. I would give myself at least one month, a month and a half at the most."

"Cutting it a bit close, but other than that, good plan. So, why are you still here and not in the library?"

"Just going to reply to Juyn's message."

"You got a new one?" She asked, curious.

"Nope. The one from two months ago." Louise answered.

Lyira paused, looking at her roommate had grown a second head, a particularly strange second head at that, "You haven't replied yet?" she hissed.

"Well, I didn't have anything to tell him about, now did I?" The pinkette replied defensively, "Anyway, it's not like it was an urgent message."

"You have a point, but it would be safe if you didn't hold off replying to your superiors. I could tell you stories…" the pureblood trailed off menacingly.

"Fine." Louise sighed.

"Don't 'fine' me." The Sith said with a huff, "I've heard tales of particularly sadistic Lords and Darths executing people over less."

Louise grimaced. She knew what the red-skinned woman was talking about, having been told similar tales from Juyn. It scared her once she remembered that there was a very small percentage of the nobility all over the Brimiric nations acted in similar fashion to commoners. The late Baron Richard of Gallia, to name one, "I'll be okay, Juyn doesn't seem to be the type."

Lyira looked over the pinkette with a scrutinising gaze, "Fine, I'll leave you to it."

And with that, the Sith went back to her meditation, leaving Louise to settle down in her wheelie swivel chair -something she had become quite fond of over the months- and get to work composing her reply.

' _Lord Juyn,_

 _I apologise for replying so late. When I received your message, I had just completed my second trial and decided that I would be able to tell you the results and more about my time here than I could on that day._

 _My first trial was to go and speak to a Sith Lord by the name of Spindrall and complete a 'trial by blood' which required me to fight and kill eight fallen acolytes._

 _The second was given to me by an inquisitor by the name of Zyn. I was required to interrogate an acolyte to uncover the identity of an apprentice who had committed murder. I succeeded and found that the murderer was Esorr Kayin, and apprentice of a Dark Council member. I was told that I had handled myself expertly._

 _Finally, my third trial requires me to enter Marka Ragnos' tomb and acquire a holocron that has been entombed for around a thousand years. According to the Overseer, it is a trial of intelligence. I can't say that I am not worried, nor could I say that I do not loath Harkun for this trial, especially when he made a big show of giving Ffon translation duty in the library._

 _Beyond my trials, my time here at the Academy has been good, though my Overseer is not making it easy. He particularly insulting and vindictive towards former slaves which make up majority in his class. Furthermore, he seems to single me out specifically, often holding me back when he sends the other acolytes away._

 _However, Harkun has not been the only thorn in my side, that belongs to an acolyte by the name of Ffon Althe. A Sith Pureblood who happens to have never been a slave, something I find odd seeing as Lord Zash (The Sith that we are training for) wishes for a former slave to be her apprentice. He often looks down upon me and the other acolytes for similar reasons to Harkun. Also like the Overseer, he seems to specifically target me, insulting my intelligence, abilities and my personal appearance; something that I am growing increasingly tired of…_ '

A quite buzz hovered around the library as several acolytes and Sith mulled about, examining texts, researching, conversing with the gatekeepers of holocrons or otherwise using the library for its primary purpose. One acolyte, a girl who looked extremely out of place with her short and petite figure, long pink hair tied up in a ponytail and unnatural pink eyes, however, was looking extremely frazzled.

The girl, Louise, was sitting down at a large table covered in several scrolls, books, datapads and holocrons trying to find any information regarding a species of Sithspawn known as a 'Sith familiar' and their creation. The only problem was that it was a very obscure piece of alchemy and most that did mention it told her that they would not even bother with creating one. Though, there were some texts that did mention their traits and that they were difficult to create and expensive.

"Ugh! Why is it so difficult to find information on one little alchemical ritual!" Louise groaned, rubbing her strained eyes as she leaned back into the chair.

On a whim, the pinkette had looked up for something, anything, concerning a familiar and she had gotten lucky. A large text written about Sith Alchemy had mentioned it in a section dedicated to many of the creations the Sith had created over the years. Louise almost cried out in joy. She continued to follow that lead until she had compiled all the information she could, or at least all the information that acolytes were permitted to access.

The Sith familiar was said to be a large bird of prey -some accounts describe it like a vulture, to an owl, to a raven. The familiar would work much like the familiars of her homeworld, but also had other talents such as the ability to act as a catalyst for the Force.

The only problem? Due to her status as an acolyte, she was deemed unworthy and as such, would be forbidden to learn alchemy or any of the more advanced Force abilities. Louise could say quite a few things about the Sith Academy and its style of teaching, however, she would not say they were stupid. From some of the things she had learned when reading into alchemy, she knew a lot of damage could be caused if one untrained was to go messing around with biology. Though this did nothing to stop her from reading into the various sciences that alchemists needed to learn.

Feeling her eyes hurt under the strain of reading for a few hours straight, Louise decided to take a break. Once she had packed away the various Sith artefacts and tomes, the pink acolyte started to leave the library, only to be stopped by a familiar face.

"There you are, Louise!" The pureblood exclaimed in greeting.

"Hello, Lyira," Louise replied. "You were looking for me?"

"Yeah, I was going to see if we could go potholing in a tomb or explore the wilds. You up for it?"

"Mhm, I could use a distraction from books."

"you have been cooped up in there for a bit."

And so, the duo left the academy library, off towards the entrance to explore the Valley of the Dark Lords. as they walked, they chatted about a few topics, how their day had been, any interesting news, and so forth. Louise had a short yet informative talk about the status of the greater galaxy at large; she still needed to learn how to properly use the computers and her own datapad.

Soon they had descended the large staircase outside of the academy, where they happened to meet their first obstruction, "Is this slave annoying you?" The Sith asked, glaring in Louise's direction, though when his eyes landed on Lyira, they turned sympathetic.

"Ffon," Louise said coldly, removing his focused from her roommate.

"Oh, you must be Ffon. What was it you asked?" Lyira asked in a sweet voice. The pinkette could tell it was an act having heard the things her roommate had said in relation to her rival.

"I asked if the slave was annoying you." The red-skinned man repeated, looking slightly put out, but helpful nonetheless.

Lyira looked ready to retort, but Louise beat her to it, having already had enough of the pureblood, "Please go away, Ffon. You are unwelcome here."

"Silence, slave." He spat in return, "Is that any way to speak it your betters!"

"Don't ta-"

Once again, Lyira was cut off by her roommate, "Please, Ffon. If you are my better, then I am sorely worried for what the Empire is coming to."

"How dare you!"

"Shut up, Ffon. Don't want to create a scene, now do you." Louise said, gesturing to the few acolytes and Sith had stopped to enjoy the scene before them.

"I will not let filth order me around."

"That's not what your mother said last night." A pin drop could be heard in the silence that followed Lyira's barb, that is until a low 'ooh' escaped the lips of one of the audience members.

Louise was similarly shocked by what her friend had said, looking wide-eyed at her roommate, "Lyira!" she yelled sounding scandalised.

"What?" She responded innocently.

A deep growl turned the two's attention back to Ffon who looked positively and in some respects, rightfully murderous. His hand absently rising towards his training saber.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Lyira said, her own hand reaching for her war blade on her waist, "Don't want to get in trouble for murder."

Briefly looking around at the audience, stopped progressing to this weapon, "H-how…! You, filth!" He sputtered.

"Don't call her 'filth,' Ffon. You may have Harkun's favour, but he does not decide who is Lord Zash's apprentice. I would _hate_ to see someone who holds themselves high, come crashing down."

"You are nothing. You are worse than nothing, you _chit_." At the insult, Louise flinched, "This place will rip you to shreds, and I will be Zash's apprentice. You might have finished your first two trials, something you undoubtedly had help with, but you will go no further." And with that dramatic speech done, Ffon stalked up the stairs to the academy, leaving the two girls to glare at his back.

Sighing in disgust, Louise said, "Why did you have to say that?"

"He insulted my friend." The pureblood huffed.

"Thanks, but please don't insult anyone's mothers." The pinkette chided, "I don't want you to die horribly."

Suddenly Louise was overdramatically enveloped in a pair of arms, "I didn't know you cared." The raven haired Sith said overemotionally. The pinkette was all too aware that their audience was still watching.

"No, I just need a living training dummy." She said tersely, "Shall we go?"

"That's cruel, Louise."

' _One thing I do enjoy about the Academy is the self-study. I have been told that I spend way too much time in the library either researching into the Force and any other topic I find interesting. Which brings a question to mind, do you happen to have an information on Alchemy, specifically the creation of something called a Sith Familiar? I am also interested in something called Pyrokinesis._

 _Besides my studies, I have listened to your instructions and created ties with the military. It was only a small job, but it was quite difficult. There was a k'lor'slug infestation in the tomb of Ajunta Pall, a man by the name of Cormun was sent by the Imperial military to end the infestation, but they hit a snag when they tried to blow up the nest. He needed me to detonate the charges because his men couldn't reach the nest without being bogged down with the creatures…_ '

"Gaah! I'm bored!" The pinkette groaned into her pillow. It had been over three weeks since she had arrived and Louise had reached that lull in her training where she had inexplicably lost all interest in anything and just felt too tired to do anything.

"Yes, I know. You have been complaining for an hour or so." Said a tired and annoyed Sith.

Understanding that it would be best to stop voicing her complaints… repeatedly, the little acolyte decided to run through a mental list of all the things she had done, could do and wanted to do. She sat there thinking for a few minutes, before a thought of a hobby she loved entered her head, "Does the Academy happen to have any knitting supplies?"

Lyira did not respond right away, but Louise could hear and eventually see the pureblood shift in her own bed before hanging down to spy upon Louise, "…knitting?" the Sith repeated an odd tone in her voice.

"Yes, knitting," Louise replied simply, thinking her roommate must have misheard.

What Louise did not expect, however, was that same roommate start laughing. It was not a chuckle one would get after telling a joke or something like, that, it was the type of laughter that was saved for the truly funny things… or those that were touched in the head. The laughter was so bad, that Lyira fell off the bad, only voicing her pain for a moment before she was overtaken with mirth once again.

"What's so funny!?" The pinkette pouted, feeling as if the laughter was pointed towards her.

Chuckling a bit more, the Sith finally answered, "Knitting, seriously?"

"And what, may I ask, is wrong with knitting?" The pinkette asked, feeling slightly hurt by what her friend had said.

"Of course you would knit." Lyira said shaking her head, oblivious to what her roommate was feeling, "That has got to be one of the most un-Sith like activities you could possibly do besides trust falls! I don't even think they would allow you to enter the Academy if they caught you with knitting supplies. Force, imagine how the galaxy would react if it caught a Sith knitting. The Order wouldn't be taken seriously! We'd be the laughingstock of the galaxy."

Feeling slightly better now that it was explained, Louise replied, "Alright, calm down there, Miss. Worst-Case-Scenario."

"I suppose they would let you have them if you were going to torture someone… that's an image. Tremel would probably get some if I asked. Not going to." Lyira said quickly, waving her hands in the universal 'don't' gesture.

"You get the Overseer who practically fawns over you. Lucky." The pinkette huffed, "Ugh, the Sith are boring!"

"I think you are the first to have ever said that. Ever. Is there really nothing you can do?" Her roommate asked.

"No, not really. I mean, I could meditate or even train, but I want to take a break from that… I can't research because I reached a block… Hmm…." Louise explained, pausing once again in thought, "Wait!"

"What?"

"How could I forget!" The pinkette cried again, ignoring her roommate and hopping out of her bed before getting changed from the warrior robes to the acolyte's uniform. "Oh, I hope I am still able to do it…"

"Louise… what is it?" The Sith questioned again.

"I'll be back. Going to blow up some things. Bye." The Pinkette said quickly, dashing out the door.

"What!?"

"Joking…" Louise said, poking her head in the doorway. She still felt a bit sore about Lyira's laughing fit but found the shocked expression on her friend's face as penitence enough, "Only a room or two. The military asked."

As the pinkette bolted out the doorway again, Lyira could only look on in horror. It was only a few minutes later before she too was out the door.

...

"Disgusting creatures…" Louise muttered, striking down another too-curious k'lor'slug hatchling. It seemed as if the population of K'lor'slugs had doubled since she was last in the tomb, the creatures were everywhere and were starting to become a nuisance. The diminutive acolyte felt slightly ecstatic at the thought of killing off the local population in a horrible fiery explosion. Louise knew that she was getting closer to her goal, the main nest of the k'lor'slugs. She could _feel_ it.

After some time and quite a few k'lor'slugs later, Louise reached her goal: the main egg chamber… looking on at the sight before her, she felt sick.

"No wonder they couldn't complete their mission, there's millions of them!" Louise exclaimed, surveying the chamber. K'lor'slug hatchlings swarmed across the mucus covered floor, scrambling for any scraps of food they could get before their siblings could arrive. Some larger specimens, Broodwatchers, if her memory served correctly, kept watch, looking for anything dangerous that may trespass in the nest. Finally, was the queen, the biggest of them all, sitting near the middle of the room as she laid a new batch of eggs. Right next to the queen was what looked like a slime covered console with a red flashing light underneath some guard made of an unidentifiable transparent material.

 _Great! That must be the bomb consol._ Louise mentally grumbled from her vantage point. Just then, as if her mission could not get worse, all eyes, from the hatchlings to the Broodwatchers, to the Queen turned and looked upon her. Then they screamed.

Normally, Louise was unaffected by the scream of a k'lor'slug, just finding it mildly annoying, however, never in her life had she experienced the combined screeches from this number of the critters. Then, all the slugs besides the Queen charged.

Louise's plan was instantly dashed as Louise began to move. Due to the speed that she could run, thanks to the runes and the Force, she was safe from any of the claws or acidic spit that might come her way. The only problem was that the pinkette could not just run around the perimeter of the chamber, no, she needed to get the centre. Though, as luck would have it, the Broodwatchers did not chase her, instead finding themselves surrounding the Queen, and by default, the console.

Finding the running counterproductive, the pinkette tried to get to the middle of the room and attack one of the larger slugs. Lashing out with the Force, Louise pushed some of the smaller critters who were chasing her away, then shot out a cone of electrical energy at the closest of the Broodwatchers. With a quick leap and the strength of ten or so men at her beck and call, the slug did not stand a chance.

This course of action, however, seemed to be one of the worst choices she could have made. The second the slug fell to the floor dead, she found herself surrounded by the other Watchers who seemed bigger and meaner than the one she killed.

Before she was impaled by one of the giant claws coming her way, something embedded itself in the mouth of the offending slug before being reached free by an invisible force. All eyes, including the other k'lor'slugs, watched as the Broodwatcher fell dead.

Turning to face the direction the thing went, she found her roommate standing at the mouth of the chamber with the most scandalised look on her face she had seen since one particularly bad party her family had been invited to. "Are you suicidal! Not even Apprentices would head in here alone!"

Before she could respond, a ripple echoed through the Force, something she had come to know meant 'danger'. Taking the fact at face value, Louise ran forward, narrowly dodging the k'lor'slugs attack. "When did you get here!?" Louise shouted back.

"Few moments ago. Got lost; you walk fast for your size." Lyira summarised, gesturing for Louise to help keep the creatures at bay with the Force.

"Still growing!" The pinkette bit out, pushing some of the closer creatures back.

"Good, use that anger!" The Sith encouraged.

"Ugh, just help! I need to get to the terminal and set off the explosives!" Instead of answering in either an affirmative or a negative, the Sith Warrior in training charging into the hoard of slugs, cleaving through some of the softer shelled hatchlings with her war blade. Knowing that she could not keep the fight up for long, the pinkette used the distraction to get closer to the console.

Working quickly, Louise flipped up the protective covering and pressed the red button. Almost immediately, a high-pitched beeping emanated from the terminal. Hearing it for what it was, the pinkette called out to Lyira who looked to be having too much fun killing the k'lor'slugs.

Soon, both acolytes were racing out of the chamber and up the stairs, trying to get as far as possible from the ticking time bomb. Before they could reach the top of the staircase, a large explosion rocked the foundation of the tomb and a heated shockwave blasted through the doors, slamming them in the back.

The first to recover was the Sith Pureblood, who, dazed and a tad deaf, got up and started making her way towards the downed pinkette. "You okay, Louise?" She asked, certain that she was speaking way too loud to compensate for her lack of hearing.

Instead of reacting in any way that Lyira expected, the pinkette curled tightly into a ball. From what the pureblood could see, she was muttering something under her breath repeatedly. Concerned, Lyira bent down and tried to find out if anything was wrong. Louise flinched under the touch and looked towards her roommate, surprise and a hit of fear cleared in her eyes. "Lyira?"

"Are you alright?"

The girl made a noise in affirmation, quickly pulling herself off the ground. Lyira pleased that her friend was indeed okay, decided not to pry any further.

"So… we're done?" The Sith asked.

Once again, Louise did not respond with words, but a grunt. Before they could do anything else, however, an ecstatic voice called out to both girls, "I heard the explosion when you set off the charges!" Looking over, they found the all too pleased face of Sargent Cormun walking towards them, "Excellent, Outstanding work, sirs. You two can expect your well-earned payments by the end of the day, sirs!"

 _'_ _I did manage to find Rayne's sister; it was actually quite an easy task as I had found her on day one. I had just completed my first trial and I had wanted to get some rest and pack away my belongings; so I headed towards my quarters. Once I reached the door to my room, I opened the room only to find your sister inside training with a War Blade in the nude. As it turns out she is my roommate here at the academy._

 _When we first met, we had gotten off on the wrong foot for reasons stated above, but we eventually got over it, despite the many times during the month that I had wanted to stab Lyira in the face…'_

"Where are you going?" Questioned Lyira in an accusing tone, watching as the pinkette stood from her personal terminal and headed towards the door, training saber in hand.

"Training," Louise replied quickly. _Please don't…_

"Then I will go, you will stay."

"Why?" The pinkette asked, slightly anxious.

"Do you seriously think I have forgotten our deal?" Lyira replied seriously.

"But…"

Lyira quickly cut her off with a hand gesture, "No buts. We made a deal, or do you really want to walk in on me in the nude once again."

"Fine" Louise spat.

"Good, now I will leave you to it." The red skinned woman said as she left the room, "Oh, one more thing. I wouldn't bother lying, I will know."

"Just get out!"

"I'm going, I'm going… yeesh, such a prude…" The Pureblood muttered, closing the door behind her.

"I am not a prude!" Louise continued to glare at the door, waiting a few minutes until she was sure that Lyira was away. Once she was sure the red woman was gone, Louise sighed in one part apprehension and one part defeat.

After a few more moments of stalling, Louise pouted, placing her training saber onto her bed. Then in a sluggish manner, began to remove her clothing, each article slower than the last. Soon, the pinkette stood shivering and nude in the middle of the room. Louise fixed a glare at the entrance, half expecting the door to open revealing any number of Sith or acolytes.

Silently, she scolded herself for acting in this manner. During her time at the Magic Academy, she had never acted in such a way, especially in her own room. _Then again,_ a small part of her mind said. _I am no longer the sole owner of the room._

Shaking her head at her own well-placed paranoia, the diminutive acolyte took her training blade in hand and began practising several basic katas against a training dummy. Striking at the different positions for the most basic of lightsaber styles, Form 1, Shii-Cho, or Way of the Sarlacc if the runes were to be trusted.

The head, arms and legs were the targets for users of this form, often used to disarm and not kill the target. Louise found it odd that the Sith used the form, but she could still see why. It was useful in its simplicity and its simplicity was what made it strong.

Once pleased with her practice, Louise moved onto the next form, then the next. Going through a cycle as she practised each of the seven forms that the runes had gifted her with. Louise quickly found herself attached to Form IV, Ataru, as it was one that played to her aggressive tendencies. The runes had given her the knowledge on how to perform quite a few of the moves this form employed.

By the end of her solo sparring session, she was sweaty and tired, but still somehow exhilarated. It was no mystery how she still felt like running a kilometre, the glowing runes were very conspicuous now that the usual hand wrap she had gotten for the specific purpose to hid the runes, was now atop the pile of clothes. Not that the length of synthetic cloth was not noticeable in itself, especially seeing as it was only her left arm that was wrapped, but so far, she had not been questioned.

The runes were still a source of many questions for her, so much so that she had tried perusing the archives in the Sith Academy, not that she was expecting, or got anything from it. Nevertheless, the more she learned about the passive effects of the Force, the more she started to notice about the runes. For example, she had started to feel… something from them. A strange presence, or lack thereof. She tried to compare it to the different 'auras' she had access to in the Academy. Her results? Nothing.

It did not feel like the Jedi, nor did it feel like the Sith. So, she wrote off the Light and Dark Side of the Force. Then again, she remembered that it might not have a connection to the Force.

Examining the runes, Louise decided on a course of action.

Sitting down in the seiza position, Louise settled the training weapon onto her lap with a single hand laying on it, delving into a trance. The neophyte, having only been at the academy for nearly a month, was not a master of the meditative arts, however, she was not a novice like she was when she started. It often took nearly an hour to get into a simple trance, her mind often getting distracted by outside influences. This was unlike those times…

As she sat, meditating on the cool durasteel floor, Louise could not help but twitch at the unnatural itching sensation prickling the back of her left hand. Instead of being deterred by the agitation, she treated it like a challenge to overcome. "Peace is a lie," the pinkette whispered to herself as she tried to dig deeper, the strange presence being her focus, "There is only Passion…"

The deeper she delved, the stronger the itch became and soon, it became too much to handle. Just as she was about to let go, and exit the trance, all feeling left. All of it. She could not feel the floor below her, the artificial light on her skin, nor could she hear the hum of the Academy. It was like someone turned off all the senses in her body. She could not even feel the cool embrace of the Dark Side, something she had never noticed, but now it was gone, it felt like a piece of her being just vanished.

Scared and afraid, the pinkette reacted, opening her eyes to the world, expecting the grey walls her room to comfort her. Instead, Louise found herself in a place she had never expected, nor had she seen for quite some time. A forest.

Large trees, overgrown bushes, and lush grass.

Her eyes started to water up as her mind started to catch up with what she was seeing. Only moments ago, had all feeling been cut off, but now she could feel the grass tickling her, feel a weak breeze caress her skin, and smell the wonderful fragrance one could only find in nature. However, the Force still felt absent.

Rubbing her eyes vigorously to make sure it was not a hallucination of some sort, the pinkette found that the image did not change. Taking a chance, the nude teenager slowly stood up from the ground, any happiness she might have had from seeing a living plant again, dashed by that one part of her that was now missing. Trying desperately not to freak out, Louise stuck her hand out and tried to lift some nearby rocks with the Force.

Nothing happened.

Again, she tried, and the same results followed; once, twice, thrice, she tried again, even trying to summon lightning from her hands. But nothing came of it.

Her breathing was deep as she tried and tried to use the techniques the Jedi had advised her to use when feeling particularly anxious or angry. In a fit of emotion, Louise lashed out in the only way she could, at the only thing she could see.

Surprisingly, punching the tree did not hurt as much as she, though. In fact, it did not hurt at all. Her hand was not damaged, and the tree did not even react. All her fear, anger and sadness seemed to flow out of her as she was met by the conundrum of what was happening. Reaching out, Louise stroked the bark of the trunk. It felt rough, it felt like wood. It felt real. And for some reason, that revelation sent a shiver down her spine.

Now functionally calm, the petite girl began to explore her surroundings more, soon discovering she was not in some random area of a forest but was on a worn path that winded through the forest. Several large patches of dirt showed that the path was a used often. Faced with the conundrum of which way to go, the acolyte chose at random, moving quite fast, but cautious at the same time, her eyes never staying in one place too long.

However, she did not have to walk too far before she started hearing noises from the side of the path. Getting ready for a fight, despite knowing that, without the force or a weapon of some kind, she was woefully unarmed. _I really need to learn how to fight without weapons…_

Following the sounds, she soon found herself on the outskirts of a small clearing. It was not too strange, just a small area where trees and bushes seldom grew, however, what -or rather who- was in the centre was more interesting. Two people; one a short blond man leaning on a tree, watching the second with icy blue eyes. He was dressed much like one of her old professors, Colbert, except instead of blue robes, his were purple and black. The second and more interesting of the two was a scantily clad woman perform a few katas with a large curved sword. Though this is not what made her interesting, no, it was the two long pointed ears that poked out of her blonde shoulder length hair.

It took a few seconds for what she was seeing to register, but once it did, Louise immediately reacted. Wide-eyed and horrified, the pinkette stumbled back, before tripping over herself and landing on her butt. "Elf!" she shouted, trying to warn her fellow mage of the being in front of his very eyes.

It was in that moment, she noticed that nobody reacted to her warning, they did not even act like they heard her. Getting back up, Louise, still cautious and ready to flee, watched the two. The man, surprisingly enough, did nothing but grin as he watched the elf do nothing but cut the air with her weapon.

Louise was slightly at a loss at what was happening. _Did the elf not know he was watching? Is he under a spell? Are they both deaf? Is he an idiot!?_ All these questions started running through her mind as she watched dumbfounded as the most hated enemy of man put on a show for said man. A part of her wanted to run in and warn the man, another wanted to attack the heathen, and the largest wanted to flee in terror and never look back. And yet, she stayed and watched, confused more than anything.

It was at this point that former mage noticed something peculiar of the elf, besides the ears and heavenly beauty she exposed. Whether it was a trick of the light, or something closer to home -and Louise did not want to get close enough to find out- it seemed the back of her left hand was glowing in a very familiar way. Absently, Louise rubbed the back of her own hand.

With one last grunt, the elf stopped her practice, turning to the human with a smile. "What do you think?" She asked the mage in a very _old_ dialect of her home language, wiping beads of sweat from her head.

"Well, I wouldn't want to be on the business end of that blade. Speaking of which, where'd you get it?"

"Ay, who are you calling an 'it,' blondie!" A metallic voice called out, causing both the mage and Louise to jump at the suddenness, the latter pulling out a wand in a fluid motion and pointing it in the direction the voice came from.

"Who said that?" The now armed man demanded, looking around. Louise too was looking around for the source of the voice.

Suddenly laughter broke the air, at first, it was a muffled giggle that turned to full-blown howling, all coming from the elf, "It's funny how little you know about the finer aspects of Elven Magic." She said once she gained control over herself, "The sword, I made him. Derflinger is his name. Derflinger, this is Brimir."

Almost at once, Louise's mind completely stopped. It was not the fact that the elf insinuated that swords can talk, it was within the realm of possibility, especially seeing as she had never experienced, nor would ever want to experience, the magic of heathens. It was more to do with what the elf called the mage, Brimir.

Now, it would not be hard to assume that a parent wanted to name their child after the Founder of Magic, however, due to laws enacted by the Church, it was made illegal to name a one after the Founder and even his saints. It was especially disturbing having the name beings spoken with fondness by an _elf_ of all creatures. Deciding to through caution into the wind to get answers, Louise took a few cautious steps out into the clearing, half expecting the two beings to make a note of her existence. Instead, they continued to chat about the details about the sword and how it was made.

"Uh… hello?" She greeted, or tried to at least. The duo did not react in the slightest to her presence. "Hello?" she tried to greet again, her voice more forceful than before. When they did not even respond to that, she grew frustrated, "Respond!" she yelled, once again receiving nary a flinch to betray her existence.

Moving within touching distance of the two, Louise tried to push the mage, seeing as the safer of the two. It did not work. Instead, her hand phased through the man's body and clothing. A squeak of fright escaped her mouth as she quickly removed her hand from the inside of his shoulder.

Examining her hand, she found that nothing was different. It was in that moment, that Louise realised that it was a good thing they had not noticed her, remembering that she was still as nude as the day she was born. The acolyte tried to squash the urge to cover herself, knowing that the two could not see her.

 _Or not real in the first place_. A small part of her thought. Louise knew that illusions existed and were quite spectacular, especially done by masters of the Dark Side. Though she quickly dismissed the thought, she could not feel or use the Force, something she doubted an illusion could do.

However, her thoughts on the matter were pushed aside as a piece of dialogue broke through to her. ".. why'd you make i-er… Derflinger, in the first place?" the man who called himself Brimir, asked.

"Simple. Now that I have these runes on my hand, I have become a better swordswoman, and I wanted to make a weapon worthy of the title, Gandálfr." The elf said, gesturing to the glowing runes on the back of her left hand. Extremely familiar runes.

 _It wasn't a trick of the light… Gandálfr… where have I heard that before?_ The diminutive acolyte thought. A brief memory of the Academy of Magic flashed into mind. Back in her history classes -coincidently one of the few classes she got high grades for. Gandálfr: The Left hand of God. One of the four legendary familiars of the Found, Brimir Ru Rumiru Yuru Viri Vee Varutori.

Her jaw wide in shock, Louise could only stare the elf who continued to talk despite the pinkette. Questions started to sprout out of the woodwork as her mind tried once again to understand what was happening. Was what she was seeing real, or is it fantasy. Louise did not know. All she did know was that an elf had allied itself with someone sharing the same name as the Founder and that it claimed that it was the Left Hand of God due to runes inscribed on the back of her hand. Runes that were a spitting image of her own, right down to the glowing light.

"Louise!" A voice, distant, yet it felt as if it was being shouted in her ear. "Louise! Can you hear me? Louise!" Despite not moving, the pinkette felt as if she was being shaken as if someone was trying to wake her up. Blinding light filled her vision, soon fading into colour, red being a predominate one. The colours began to sharpen, showing that she was now back in her quarters in the Sith Academy with a very worried looking Lyira shaking her. "Louise!"

"Please don't shout in my ear…" the aforementioned acolyte groaned, pulling herself up.

An audible sigh of relief escaped her roommate's mouth. "Sorry, but you would not respond! What happened!?"

"I… don't know," Louise replied, still confused about the past twenty to thirty minutes. "Why are you here?"

"I was going to go to bed, knocked first to see if anything was up, but you didn't respond. I opened the door and saw you meditating. I told you to get dressed, but you didn't respond to that either. Eventually, I came over to shake you out of whatever you were in… you started screaming like you were being branded. You were clutching your wrist."

"Oh." Was all the petite woman had to say.

Though, it seemed like Lyira was not pleased with that response if the cross expression she wore was anything to go by, "Oh!?"

"Calm down, I was meditating. It… brought up memories best left forgotten." Lied Louise.

"Does it have anything to do with the scars on the back of your hand?" She asked softly, pointing to the engraved lines.

Instantly, Louise tried to hide them from sight, "I'll tell you about it later." She said, looking down at her naked body, "I would, however, like it if you get out!"

"Okay! Okay!" Lyira said, her expression becoming more carefree as she got up and left the room, "I'm going, I'm going. Prude."

Once the door closed, Louise cradled her head in her hands, letting out a low sigh. She was going to be questioned about the runes, but she did not want to tell anyone about them. The more and more she had read about them, the least likely she trusted them not to _examine_ her and the magic inside. She would keep the vision and magic a secret for now.

Recalling that Lyira wanted to go to sleep, Louise suddenly realised that she too, felt like she had run a marathon and a half. Tiredly, she walked over and got dressed in some sleepwear, remembering to cover her runes with the wrap. Once pleased with her appearance, the pinkette allowed her roommate to enter the room and got ready for bed.

' _Other than that, not much has happened during my stay at the Academy._

 _Thank you for the message, it was nice to hear from you._

 _May the Force serve you well,_

 _Acolyte Louise._ '


	8. (4) The Tomb of Marka Ragnos

**Chapter 8 -Act I- The Tomb of Marka Ragnos**

* * *

Meditating off in a secluded part of the Valley of the Dark Lords, a way away from the Academy, was a girl with strange pink hair and eyes. In front of her, was a piece of cloth, something she had acquired from another acolyte. Her hands were cupped around it as if trying to block the sky from the fabric. The girl had been sat like this for quite a few hours, having gotten up at dawn to begin her ritual. Then, without warning, the piece of cloth smoked, suddenly alive with fire.

Feeling the heat upon her hand, she quickly opened her eyes and stared down at the small flame that was eating away at the cloth. Pride and relief filled her body as she proclaimed, "I did it!"

The pinkette immediately tried to calm herself down, having remembered that there was more she had to do. Once again, she forced her face into one of concentration, though, instead of having her eyes closed, she glared down at the small flame that was soon going to die. Reaching out with the Force, Louise began syphoning its energy into the flame, trying to keep the fire alive.

The fire did not change size, not large, nor smaller. Soon the fabric was nothing but ash, however, the flame continued burning, despite the lack of noticeable fuel.

Louise's face split into a grin as she began the final stage of the pseudo-ritual. She began to move her right hand in a grasping motion, using her left hand to continue fuelling the flame. At first, the fire did not react, just continued flickering at a stable size. Then the flame started to oscillate before the pinkette made a pulling motion.

Soon the flame was levitating in the palm of her hand. Louise wanted to jump with joy, but rational thinking told her that to do so, she would have to sacrifice the flame that took hours on end to set fire to. Instead, she limited herself to gloating to the air about her achievement, "Zerbst would be so jealous! The power of fire at my beck and call!" _Now comes the difficult part, getting back to the academy._

Realising her mistake too late, Louise began the long and arduous challenge of walking through the valley to the pyramidal Academy. _This is what I get for trying to be secretive…_

Luckily, her journey was not hampered at all, only a few missteps causing minor issues. Eventually, she arrived at the large staircase that led to the mouth of the Academy. A quick look to the sky revealed that it was lunch time and that most acolytes and Sith were in the cafeteria, though not all. Glancing to the sides, she could see that a few acolytes double-take as they regarded the decently sized flame in her hand. She could even see a few Sith looking at her with unreadable expressions.

Eventually, Louise arrived at the cafeteria. A quick scan showed that her friends were. Moments later, she had arrived at the table her friends had apprehended.

"Hey, Lou… are you holding fire?" Her roommate questioned, looking at the burning ball with something akin to awe.

"How… how are you doing that?" Questioned another of her friends, Balek, if her memory served. He and his twin were gawking at the flames.

"It's a little-known ability that has been a pain in the rear for a few days. Pyrokinesis; the ability to generate and, more importantly, control fire." Louise said, moving the flame about in careful and controlled movements, aweing the twins even more.

"I have never heard of that."

"You wouldn't have. As I had said, it not very known. Not that I know why it's awesome."

"So how did you find it, oh powerful Fire Lord?"

"Harty har har." Louise replied dryly as she dismissed the fire and slumped into a vacant seat, "I found it in the archives, though, not much. On my homeworld, people could do similar things, so, I got curious and tried to find the extent of the Force."

"Do you think you could teach us?"

"Teach?" The pinkette echoed, "I don't know, it took me a few days to figure out how it worked, and a few more to actually create a flame. A few times the target would just burn without fire."

"Oh, okay…"

"Sorry but I wouldn't even know where to start teaching you. It's not something I have done before. I guess I could give you the instructions," mused the pinkette, amused by the excitement on the twins faces, "But, be careful. Fire is dangerous, don't play with it, especially alone."

"but you did." Her roommate pointed out.

"Well, yeah. I had fire safety drilled into my head at a young age." Louise replied offhandedly, remembering the first time she had tried to cast a spell. Back then, she was filled with hope that she was a mage, the explosion was held with reverence and proof of her noble blood. The second her family saw it, they assumed her affinity was with fire and acted accordingly.

"We'll be safe." The twins promised.

"Anyway, what are you guy's getting up to today…?"

The Deadline for completing her third trial was fast approaching, less than a half a month left. She spent time either in the library, researching the history behind Marka Ragnos' tomb and the holocron that resides inside, and learning martial combat from Lyira and an instructor. When Louise first came to the pureblood about wanting to learn how to fight with her hands, her roommate was surprised by the suddenness of it all, thinking the diminutive acolyte preferred to fry her opponents. But Lyira taught her anyway.

It had usually been just her and the pureblood, but during one morning when she was sparing with her roommate, the twins, Balek and Wydr, asked to join. Obviously, Louise was cautious around the two, but after a time, she warmed up to them. Soon, they started hanging out outside of the training room, joining the two roommates for lunch and escapades into the library.

Near the end of the month, however, Louise received a response from Juyn. It was a simple letter, briefly explaining what Juyn and his apprentice had been up to, an apology from Rayne for her sister's antics, and an explanation to why she could not learn more about alchemy; it required money, supplies and her graduation from acolyte hood. Though, her disappointment was short lived when the Sith Lord managed to acquire some texts on pyrokinesis. Something that had overtaken most of her time.

"Me and my brother were just planning on getting some extra training in. You?" answered Wydr.

Before Louise could answer, Lyira cut in, "I think today would be a nice time to complete my trial."

Getting the hint, Louise added, "Yeah, I think I will too; that is, after lunch. Speaking of, have you guys finished your trials?"

"Our trials? Almost finished mine, but Balek apparently finished his, though, he's being quite tight-lipped about it," explained Wydr.

"Hey, I was told I had to be discrete!"

"Well, you did spend a lot of time in the prison."

"Wait, the Prison?" The pinkette asked, getting a nod in return, "You didn't happen to see a Jedi, did you?" she pressed further.

"Yeah, there was a Jedi, he was actually part of my trial." Balek explained reluctantly, "I had to befriend him, then bust him out of jail."

 _That explains it_. Louise thought. She had been wondering where the Jedi went but feared asking questions would lead to a conversation she did not want to have. She did miss his presence, as he was always an interesting person to talk to compared to the Sith.

"Bust him out? Why would the Sith want a Jedi loose?" Lyira asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"They messed with his head, giving him false information." The beefy acolyte continued, "I had to gain his trust and get his equipment before breaking him out."

"Did you find anything out?" Louise pushed. She already knew that the Sith must have done something to his head. sometimes when she visited, he would act completely lucid, other times, he acted strangely. At one point, she told her worries to the Jedi. At first, he did not seem to comprehend, but as he thought, he became more and more wary of the other Sith.

"Yeah. Apparently, there was this acolyte that has been keeping him company." Said Balek, reminding the pinkette of the gossip, Montmorency, from her own school, though obviously less annoying. "Though, that was all he said on the subject. Felt really bad about not getting to say goodbye."

Louise let out a breath she did not know she was holding, quickly covering it by saying, "Well, as long as you completed your trial."

...

"The lower wilds are certainly cooler today," Louise commented, peering down from the skycar to the land below, seeing a small number of Korriban wildlife meandering about as several Imperial soldiers stood guard or otherwise patrolled the land.

"I always thought that Korriban was quite strange." Lyira added, "It is mostly desert, but is quite cool nonetheless. I guess the Dark Side could double as a freezer."

"What?" Louise questioned, looking at the Sith beside her with an expression of absolute confusion.

The pureblood seemed to realise what she had just said, her face twisting into one of incomprehensibly, "Sorry, I have no idea where I was going with that line of thought."

Before either could make another comment on the strange subject, the skycar landed. "I hope you had a pleasant journey," voiced the skycar droid in its usual mechanical tone.

Muttering a nearly inaudible 'thank you,' the two neophytes took an elevator from the skycar platform, down to the ground floor. It looked much the same since the last time they had visited, off to their left was the place Lyira had designated 'the Vet,' with several caged tuk'ata and few operating tables. And to their right was the wilds in all its dusty glory.

"Do you think we should ask around about Ragnos' tomb?" Louise inquired, gesturing to a nearby Sith Lord.

"Probably." Lyira replied, walking towards the Sith who was currently doing something with his datapad, "Excuse me, my lo-"

"I do not have time to talk to either of you. Far too much to do." The Human Sith said abruptly, cutting Lyira off, "If you are in dire need of information, Lord Renning is right over there." He said, throwing his thumb over his shoulder towards a large figure working in the Vet, before stalking off in annoyance.

"Okay… then." Louise said, perturbed by the abrasive Sith. "That was rude."

"Yeah." Lyira agreed, "Well, let's go talk to this Renning character." She continued, pulling her roommate towards the large figure working over an operating table, "Excuse me, Lord Renning?"

Louise's first thought when meeting Lord Renning was on of revulsion. Translucent ashen skin that seemed to pronounce his dark veins, hair that was white with age and eyes that seemed to glow a sickly sulfuric yellow. However, it was not his appearance what caused disgust in the pinkette, and if how Lyira acted, her as well. Both had gotten used to the sight from nearly four months at the academy. The cause of their revulsion was his smell. He had the sent that the petite could only describe as wet dog bathed in k'lor'slug innards. Had the Sith Lord noticed their reaction, he certainly did not show it, instead, his eyes darted between the two, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"I've seen you two around, have you finally come to see my experiments?" The Sith Lord greeted, gesturing to the dissected tuk'ata that lay atop the operating table behind him, "I trust the sight of a messy operating table doesn't disturb you."

"Not at all, my lord," Lyira answered at once.

The pinkette's answer, however, was a little later, as she tried to ignore the terrible smell around her, "…They could use some scented candles."

"They do tend to smell worse on the inside, but you get used to it." He replied offhandedly, "I suppose you are curious as to what I am doing?" at that, the duo nodded, less about being curious, but that it would not hurt to find out, "To understand the Force and its mysteries, we have to seek out our answers from everywhere; including inside these beasts." He gestured to the creature again, "This used to be a living tuk'ata; I am sure you have made yourself acquainted with the species?" Another round of nods, "On the surface, they are nothing special. But I alone can see this creature is an expression of pure Dark Side energy; aggression made manifest."

Louise considered his words, then thought back to her research into Alchemy, seeing a correlation between the two, "They were created by the ancient Sith with Alchemy, so I would say you are correct." She said, her tone betraying her interest in the subject.

"Yes, yes! Exactly." Lord Renning praised, happy to have found another being who was as interested as he, "This is what I am doing here. Using this knowledge, I dissected hundreds of these beasts, each one showing a direct connection to the Dark Side." His tone began to become more boastful as he continued, "I stand at the dawn of a new frontier, but find myself thwarted by the very beast that brought me here. My most perfect specimen, a mutant tuk'ata, escaped into the tombs before I could analyse it!"

Once again, The pureblood was the first to respond, "We could help."

The pinkette could only give her roommate a look of confusion before the conversation continued without her.

"Yes… perhaps you two were brought to me through the will of the Force." He mused, "Acolytes like yourselves, delve into the tombs on your trials. You could hunt down my prize and retrieve its perfect brain. My apprentice, Malora," He pointed over to a sour looking girl standing by one of the tuk'ata cages near the entrance to the wilds, "She saw which tomb the mutant fled to. Find out what she knows, assist me, and you will be rewarded."

"Yes, my lord." They both said at once, though Louise sounded more reluctant than anything. _Great, now we get to run around the wilds. Yay!_

"Before you go, take this." The large Sith said, grabbing a backpack from a nearby workstation, "Inside are some tools to remove its brain and a container to carry it. You've found a great calling in my service. I trust you appreciate that."

"Yes, my lord." The roommates said once again, bowing respectfully. Louise took the bag from the Sith, finding it unexpectedly light, before sliding it onto her back. Then, both girls headed off to talk to his apprentice.

"Seeking Lord Renning's lost pet, are you?" Malora said once they drew near enough. Immediately Louise felt her dislike for her grow. The apprentice was a tan woman, tanner than the pinkette and Renning combined, with dark hair and dull blue eyes surrounded by purple makeup, "Don't waste your time. That fools research is pointless."

"Any reason for that?" Louise asked defensively.

"Renning deludes the Dark Council into believing he's advancing Sith knowledge." The apprentice explained as if it were obvious, "The truth is, he's wasting the Empire's time and resources dissecting mindless animals. But, if his experiments were discredited, he would be banished; and I would be rewarded."

"And you are telling us this… why?" Questioned Lyira.

"You both are going into the tombs, looking for the mutant?" Renning's apprentice asked, receiving two nods in reply, "Hunt down the creature, kill it, and bring me its brain. You might need to lure it out with something, but once you have finished that, give it to me, and I'll take care of the rest."

Louise did not know what 'I'll do the rest,' meant, but she knew she was not going to sabotage a Sith Lord's research, especially if it was interesting. But, that did not mean that the apprentice had to know, "Do you know where it went?"

"Yes," Malora responded, pulling a datacard from her pocket and handing it to the pinkette, "The creature should be in one of the many offshoots of Marka Ragnos' tomb."

Both girls made a surprised 'hm'. _I guess we don't need to run around the wilds after all._

"Do you happen to have any information you could give us about Marka Ragnos' tomb, that could… you know, keep us from dying a horrible death?" Lyira asked, getting back to the subject that started the little mess the roommates found themselves in.

"Hmm, not much to say, really." Malora said, "There are a few tuk'ata packs here and there, they mostly keep to themselves, unless they are hungry. As for the tomb itself? Well, if you have not heard, it's practically gushing with the Dark Side. Many of the soldiers and slaves sent to excavate the tomb ended up insane. Though it should be okay for you, I've seen many acolytes around there."

"Sounds fun," Lyira replied dryly.

Louise grunted, repositioning the bag on her back pointedly, "Well, we better be off."

...

So… you mentioned your homeplanet, Halkeginia?" Lyira said, breaking the comfortable silence that had descended upon the two since they left the Vet.

"Yes," The pinkette replied noncommittally.

"Well, I thought you had been a slave to the Empire." The Sith said tentatively, "You don't talk about your life past that point, not that you talk about your enslavement that much either."

"I was a slave to the Empire, though, only for a few months," Louise replied, feeling bitter at the reminder of her enslavement. "And if I am going to tell you about it, the first thing I will do is clear up a misunderstanding. The Planets name isn't Halkeginia, I gave it that name in a panic, it's just the name of the continent I hail from. But it's so primitive, no one has ever bothered to explored the entire planet. While we do know the planet is round, no matter what those idiots say, we haven't really needed to name our planet. We do have one, though it isn't really flattering."

"And that is?"

"Terre," Said Louise with a grimace, despite knowing that no one spoke Halkeginian.

"That doesn't seem too bad."

"Well you might say that, but I don't think being known as the girl from planet dirt is very flattering," Louise grumbled, thinking back to Lord Juyn's objections to the name.

"Wait, what?" The Raven-haired girl chortled.

Louise sighed, "Our planet's name, when translated into Basic, is earth."

"Why didn't you just name it Terre?" The Sith asked.

The urge to slam her palm into her face was overwhelming, but she managed to hold it at bay, "As I said, I panicked." Louise replied, "I told him our planet's name was Earth, he told me to give it a better name, so I panicked! Halkeginia was practically my whole world, so I chose that."

"I guess I can't be hard on you for choosing that name. Anything else you could tell me about your home?"

Grateful for the change of topic, Louise said eagerly, "Halkeginia, the continent, is split up into multiple different parts. You have the Brimiric Nations, the Holy Land, the Lands to the East, and Rub'al Khali. Beyond that, is a mystery to me. I was born in the Brimiric Nations, specifically, the Kingdom of Tristain. Albion, Romalia, Gallia, Tristain and, begrudgingly, Germania all belong to the Brimiric Nations. Oh, there's also the Grand Duchy of Guldenhorf, while they may say they're an independent country, Tristain holds the real power."

Lyira nodded her head in understanding, then asked, "So, why are they called the Brimiric Nations?"

"The religion. The only Religion." The pinkette answered, "Brimir, the Founder of 'Magic,' granted onto the nobility control over the four elements, earth, water, fire and air. In return, the nobility have to care for the commoners, those without magic."

"Reminds me of the Sith. Are you a follower?"

"Had you asked me that a year ago, I would have said yes. Now though?" Louise said, sounding suddenly very exhausted, "I don't think so. I fail the one test that had mattered to me at that time. Then I wake up enslaved to an Empire that I knew nothing about. No amount of prayer or anything would protect me, that is until it was discovered I had the Force, something, by the way, that would be considered 'heretical' to the Brimiric faith. Suddenly, with the Force I was free. So, yes, I cut ties with that… and my homeworld for that matter."

"You okay?"

"Yes… no. I don't want to talk about it. It's quite personal."

Sensing that the topic was a sensitive one, Lyira tried to comfort her friend, "Cheer up, okay. I'm here if you ne-"

"Kark! Get down!" Shouted Lyira, throwing herself into the pinkette, tackling her to the ground just in time as blaster fire whizzed harmlessly overhead. Once the blaster fire subsided, the girls made a break for it, crawling aggressively to one of the many out cropping's that littered the Lower Wilds.

"Who's shooting at us?" Louise hissed once the sounds of blaster fire diminished.

"You willing to take a peak?" The Sith said in a joking manner, though any humour was lost on the smaller member of the duo.

"What!? No! My hair is pink!" The petite girl protested, pulling on a lock of her hair for emphasis, "I am pretty sure this planet has never even seen this colour!"

"Eh, true." Lyira said with a roll of her shoulders, "Though, if I die, I am haunting your arse!" the Sith pulled out a small cylindrical object from her belt, something Louise knew to be an advanced version of a spyglass or macrobinoculars according to the empire.

"I bet you would enjoy that!"

Ignoring Louise's barb, Lyira peaked over the outcrop, scanning the area with her spyglass. After a few moments, the pureblood crouched back to the ground, clipping the macrobinoculars to her belt, "They're soldiers, I would assume they're the insane fellows that Malora warned us about." She explained, "I can't see another way around, we're going to need to fight if we want to complete our mission."

"Do you see any way of getting close without being blasted to pieces?" asked Louise anxiously.

"Yeah, though, you're going to need to be quick." The Warrior replied, her warblade already in hand.

The inquisitor nodded, unsheathing and activating her own weapon, feeling the invigorating rush that came with the runes. The next second, Lyira had burst from cover, sprinting across the field, Louise following at a distance. The blaster fire started up once again.

Jumping between outcropping to pillar to outcropping again, the duo covered ground quickly, heading towards their goal: a large courtyard littered with the runes of what was once one of the great entrances to Ragnos' tomb. Soon they were in range to attack. The first man to fall by Louise's hand -a lowly officer- died by blunt force trauma.

Lyira followed up her friend by impaling someone who looked suspiciously like a slave if the shock collar was anything to go by. Luckily, Louise was too busy to notice.

Both of the acolytes continued to decimate the congregation of insane slaves and imperials. At one point, Louise found her training saber ineffectual against the more heavily armoured opponents and took up a blaster pistol from one of her kills. It had been a spare of the moment thing, and it had paid off, as the diminutive girl gunned down the mad men with skill uncommon in most Sith. Following in her friend's footsteps, Lyira took a vibroblade from one of the workers and joined in.

Soon, enough, the only two left standing, were the acolytes. "Since when did you know your way around a blaster," Lyira asked surprised.

"Since now," the roommate answered cryptically, looting a gun holster off a nearby soldier. "You know, back on my homeworld, we only had muskets -they're a type of one shot only gun which shoots small metal balls."

"Really?"

"Yep. Many of the nobility find them uncivilised and look down upon them for their clumsiness and limited uses, but with this kind of weaponry?" Said Louise, waving her newly acquired blaster, "A revolution would be a viable option."

"Sorry to hear that."

"While many of the nobility are kind or at least indifferent to the common folk, there are some who treat them badly and get away with it." Louise explained in an indifferent tone, "Count Mott, for example, is one. He would take female commoners, often young and attractive, back to his mansion to work as his mistresses; without their consent, of course. Treats them like property, like slaves." She added bitterly, "Don't be sorry.'

"Anyway, let's move on." The pinkette said suddenly, not letting her roommate continue the conversation.

"So, what do you want to do first?" Lyira asked, shifting tone, "Tuk'ata or trial?"

"Trial," Louise replied, pulling free her datapad and checking the waypoint on the map she had acquired, "That tomb over there."

"Same," Lyira said, checking her own datapad.

As they drew near the entrance to their goal, the two found themselves blocked by a human acolyte. "What are you two doing here?" She asked with a no-nonsense attitude, eyeing them both suspiciously.

"Our trials," Louise replied, returning the suspicious look towards the neophyte.

"Your trials?" The acolyte chuckled, bringing the attention of three acolytes, "You two don't belong here. You see, this tomb is a safe haven to outcast, exiles and failures." The second she finished her sentence, she and her friends leapt into action, weapons at the ready.

Lyira and Louise leapt back, avoiding several simultaneous attacks, and unsheathed their own weapons. Training sabers clashed as they split into two groups, one attacking the pinkette, and the other to attack her raven-haired friend. The two acolytes may have been outnumbered, but the exiles were outmatched.

The sentry was the first to fall, her stomach a smoking mess of flash-burnt flesh. The next died due to missing his head. The third was electrocuted to death, and finally, the fourth was impaled.

"Do you think we will find more inside?" Louise questioned, glaring down at the outcasts.

"Only one way to find out," Lyira said, walking deeper into the tomb, leaving the pinkette to catch up. Surprisingly, they ran into little resistance, that was, until they reached the central chamber.

"Intruders!" One of the more aware outcasts shouted, alerting the other ten acolytes in the room.

The duo did not even have time to curse their luck before they were drawn into combat once again. However, unlike with the exiles before, they were putting up a fight. The roommates spend more time dodging and parrying attacks, leaving them to get overwhelmed at points. Though this did not mean that none of the failures died, they just died at a slower rate.

At one point, Louise's left arm was paralysed, disabling her ability to use her blaster. With a cry of anger, Louise returned the favour, flinging her arm out, training saber forgotten by her side, and unleashed a rage-fuel force push laced with lightning, slamming her attackers into a wall.

Swearing, Louise turned to try and help her roommate, only to find that she was in a bad position. One of the three remaining exiles had hit her in the leg, debilitating her movement. A training blade was raised, only to come down towards Lyira's head.

"No!" Louise shouted. A flash of purple lit up the room and that failed acolyte screamed in agony before being impaled by Lyira. The other two soon fell to the floor, crying in pain as their nervous system was assaulted by the Force. Though, unlike their friend, their agony did not end until much later. The smell of burnt flesh soon started to perforate the air, as the two exiles' skin began to blister and crisp. Then, reaching out with the Force, the pinkette manipulated the lightning, turning it into a blaze.

Soon, only the heavy breathing of the two acolytes could be heard.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side," Lyira said cheerfully, once she had caught her breath, leaning on a container she had crawled over to.

Louise, on the other hand, was not so cheerful, her breathing becoming more haggard. "I… I thought you were going to die." She said, walking unsteadily towards her downed friend, before collapsing just in front of her.

"Hey, I'm still alive. Paralysed, but fine." The Sith said, hitting her unfeeling leg in a joking manner. Though it was obvious her attempts at lightening the mood were not working.

"But you could have!" Louise replied, her voice breaking slightly. A stray memory of her mentor laying motionless amongst rubble flashed before her vision.

"Come here," Lyira asked comfortingly.

Finding no reason not to, Louise complied, shuffling closer to her friend, "Why?"

"So we can wait for the paralysis to wear off." Her roommate replied in a tone that suggested it was obvious, leaning her head on Louise's shoulder. A feat in its self, considering the size difference.

As they waited, Louise summoned her blaster and training saber. But other than that, time passed in silence, both acolytes just enjoying each other's company despite the smell of burning flesh. Soon feeling began to creep back into her arm. Wiggling it, Louise found that she could now move it. Her roommate followed her actions, bending and straightening her leg.

"Well, I guess we can continue our trials, then," Lyira said, pulling herself up from the ground.

"Yeah," Louise mumbled, picking herself up as well.

Checking her datapad, Lyira pointed to one of the archways to the side of the room, "mines through there."

"Mines there," the pinkette said reluctantly, pointing to the archway on the opposite side.

"We'll meet up after we're done?"

"Yep. Good luck." the pink-haired girl said after a moment.

"I don't believe in luck." The Sith replied haughtily, waving goodbye before heading down to face her trial.

"Don't die," Louise murmured.

With that, the pinkette walked into the holocron chamber. It was large in size, about as big as the entry hall of the Academy, however, most of that size was taken up by the pyramidal monument in the centre. Mostly made from stone with several carvings, with a tip made from glowing red crystal encased in metal, reminiscent of a holocron. Twisting around the monument was a skeletal staircase that was obviously put in by the reconstituted Empire, centuries after construction.

A flash of movement showed that she was not alone in the chamber, several shyracks were hanging from the scaffolding and the roof, occasionally shifting. Disgusting creatures with fleshy eyes and sucker mouths making them seem like flying leeches. Louise was pleased that she had been alone when she first encountered one, knowing she would never have lived down her high-pitched scream. Not that half the Academy did not hear, tombs are, as she had found, very good at amplifying sound. Though, shyracks, unlike the other big mouths of Korriban, are incredibly weak.

Sheathing her blade, Louise pulled free her newly acquired blaster pistol, deciding to give it a try. Getting into the correct stance, the pinkette aimed and begun unleashing a volley of plasma fire towards them, hitting most of them with near masterful accuracy. Eight shyracks ten shots.

Once her blaster was safely holstered at her side, the pinkette walked up the staircase, towards the tip of the monument. There she stood, gazing intently at the tip of the pyramid, several ideas coming to mind. Finding one that could work, Louise quickly got into a meditative position and began to recite the Sith Code, "Peace is a Lie, there is only Passion. Through Passion, I gain Strength. Through Strength, I gain Power. Through Power, I gain Victory. Through Victory my chains are broken; the Force shall set me free."

Moments pass as Louise waited for any sign that her idea worked. Nothing.

"Alright, maybe the opposite might work." Getting comfortable, Louise tried to think back to what sir Dorjis had said about his meditation. "There is no emotion, only peace. There is no ignorance, only knowledge. There is no Passion, there is Serenity. There is no Chaos, there is Harmony. There is no Death, there is the Force" As she intoned those words, she tried to let go of her emotions and clear her mind. She repeated the code twice more, trying to get to that peaceful state, yet nothing came of it.

The image of mentor and friend both dying always lingering on in her mind.

Shooting off the floor with a growl, Louise began pacing around the platform aggressively, her mind racing, trying to figure out how to open the thrice-damned monument. "Perhaps it requires a sacrifice?" she mused aloud.

Pulling a small utility knife from her belt, Louise held it against her palm before hesitating. _I really don't want to do this._ A quick adjustment later, and the blade of the small knife was now on the tip of her finger, "I really don't want to do this…"

 _Alright, just count to ten._ She encouraged mentally. _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine… nine point one, nine point two…_ With a swift motion and a cry of pain, Louise cut her finger. Walking towards the massive monument, she dripped a small amount of blood on the crystal. Hissing slightly as her finger panged in pain.

Her results: nothing but a cut finger.

Growling slightly, Louise renewed her pacing, though this time she had her finger in her mouth. After nearly ten minutes of thought, an idea popped into her head. Walking over to a nearby shyrack corpse, the pinkette pulled out her blaster and began to focus her mind.

The trigger was pulled, the shyrack was shot and a small flame burst into life. Moving quickly, Louise fed the fire making it depended on the Force instead of the creature. Taking the small fire in hand, she began to over feed it, making it gain in size until it was just larger than her head. Once the ball of flames was stabilised, the pinkette pushed out with her hands, sending the fireball flying.

Upon hitting its mark, the flame exploded, dissipating into nothingness. The reliquary did nothing.

A frustrated scream tore through the tomb. "Why won't you open!" She shouted at the pyramid. Hate and anger began festering and growing as the glowing red crystal seemed to stare her down imperiously. Suddenly, Louise felt the strange impulse to lash out at something, anything, preferably living. However, as there was nothing living in the cave anymore, the acolyte instead struck out at the object of her rage. Tendrils of purple-white hate shot from the hands of the pinkette, slamming into the reliquary with a roar.

Too enraged to notice, the red crystal began to pulse at an increasing speed. Soon the torrent of electricity died down, leaving the pinkette out of breath. Glaring up at the monument, Louise immediately lost all train of thought.

She had been planning on having a few choice words with the pyramid, but instead, she found that the crystal had opened up, revealing her prize. Tulak Hord's Holocron.

Louise continued to stare bewildered at the small information repository before her mind clicked. "Was that all I had to do?" She questioned to nobody.

A growl escaped her through as she glared at the holocron. A second later and it was summoned from its pedestal and into her waiting hands. The cool metal sent a shiver down her spine as she examined the information repository. A flair of desire called for her to open the holocron, to learn its dark secrets, but the diminutive acolyte squashed it down, storing the holocron in a pouch on her belt.

Louise then left the chamber, annoyed about the simplicity of opening the reliquary. It appeared that her roommate had already finished her trial. She was pacing around the chamber, weapon at the ready. Upon seeing the pinkette, she sighed in relief. "Was that screaming you?" she asked with concern.

Louise replied with a sigh of her own, "Yes."

"Did you get it?" The Sith questioned further, knowing that something was, or had, bothered the pinkette.

"Oh yeah, don't worry I got it." The petite acolyte answered, patting a pouch holding the artefact.

"Then what was the scream for?"

"The stupid thing only responded after using lightning on it." Louise groused, "That being said, I only found out that it could be opened that way after exhausting my admittedly small list of things I could try. Even bled on the damned thing!"

"Where'd you get the blood?"

"Cut my finger. It hurt. It hurt a lot."

"You're not used to pain, are ya?"

"No, I'm just not used to purposely cutting myself!" She said in defence, "I mean, I did wear a shock collar for quite a bit." Louise added on bitterly. "So… how'd the fight with… what was it?"

"A very old Terentatek." The sith answered. "The beast of Marka Ragnos. It was quite a fight, though, I admit that it mostly consisted of me running away… Oh, pro tip, get them in their eyes." she supplied.

"I'll keep that in mind the next time I see one." Louise replied dryly, "So, now all we have to do is take down a mutant tuk'ata and… we're done!"

"Uh, I can't wait until we get back! Don't get me wrong, but I am getting real sick of tombs."

Together, Louise and Lyira left the tomb of Ragnos and headed towards the offshoot where the mutant tuk'ata hid. Once inside, the duo were confronted by a number of K'lor'slugs, mostly larva and hatchlings, though there was a peculiar looking broodwatcher. "It looks like the beginnings of a nest" Louise commented once they dispatched the annoying creatures.

"I know what you mean," Her partner replied, picking up one of the smaller larvae by its tail, "Bait?"

"you're carrying it," Louise said immediately.

Lyira huffed, slinging the creature over her back, "Well, if you're going to act like that, then you get to remove _and_ carry the brain!"

"But… but… Lyira!" the pinkette spluttered, "I-I've never removed a brain before!"

"Then this will be a learning experience." Her roommate said with the air of finality, "You never know if you might run into a time where you need to know how to remove a brain."

"Fine! I hope its blood stains your clothing."

"Oh no! I'm tripping!" Lyira joked, pretending to trip into the pinkette.

"if you get blood on me, I will fill your bed with sand!" The petite acolyte threatened, backing away from the swaying slug.

"Fine."

Soon they arrived at a dead end, the further chambers blocked by rubble. Though, there was an opening that the girls could crawl through, neither of them wanted to be in position for their prey to pounce. "I guess we set up shop here," Lyira exclaimed, slamming the larva into the centre of the chamber.

"I guess so. What should we do to pass the time?" Asked the pinkette.

"We could play slaps." Proposed the Sith.

"Slaps?"

"Yeah. It's a reaction time game. I'll show you how to play." Moving off to the side, Lyira sat down on the ground, motioning for her companion to sit in front of her, "So, what you do is you put your hands together like this," Lyira put her hand's palm to palm, then pointed her fingers away from her body. Louise copied her motions, "with the tip of your finger touching the tip of mine." Once again, the pureblood moved her hands so her fingertips were touching Louise's, "One of us is declared 'it' and it is there job to slap the other person's hand, like this." With that, Lyira slapped her roommate's hand.

"Ow! Don't have to hit so hard." Louise cried, cradling her slapped hand.

"Boohoo. Your job, or the person who is 'not it' has to move their hand out the way." Lyira continued, showing how to dodge a slap, "If I hit, I am still 'it,' if you dodge and I miss, then you are 'it'. Got it?"

The petite pinkette made a noncommittal sound in her throat, "Sounds simple enough."

"Thanks. Rayne taught it to me." Boasted the Sith, before her face turned mischievous, "Still not forgiving you for telling her that, by the way. So, what better way to get revenge, than to annihilate you at a game of slaps!"

"Oh, no." Horror dawned on Louise's face.

Lyira continued grinning, "Oh, yes."

The next ten to twenty minutes were taken up by the sounds of flesh striking flesh and the pinkette's cries of pain. The pureblood was not giving her any leeway in this game. Quite a few times had Louise successfully dodged a slap, but her glory ended either immediately or in the next slap or two.

By the time their prey arrived -signalling its arrival with a ferocious howl- Louise's hands had turned an impressive shade of red, not that the pain had gotten in the way of battle; Lyira had given a short and concise introduction of turning pain to power, and the game of slaps was an excellent teacher. Unsheathing their weapons, the duo got ready for a fight.

Out from the opening in the rubble, a large tuk'ata crawled out, bearing fangs and striking with its claws. For a second, the two thought the creature was stuck, but with a mighty push, it flung the rubble out of the way, freeing itself and the rest of the chamber.

It the moments before it could make another move, Louise had already fired off a volley of blaster bolts, pelting its coat with balls of super-heated plasma. A roar of pain and anger tore from its mouth as it pounced towards its pink attacker. The pinkette dodged out the way, holstering her blaster and getting ready to strike at the beast. But before either could make their next move, a red blur made itself known.

With a powerful strike, Lyira sliced along its flank, cutting passed its thick skin. Another attack cut across its face, through its eye and hacking into its large teeth.

The tomb flashed to life as a barrage of electricity struck the beast in its side, disabling it momentarily. The pureblood, capitalising on the opening her friend had made, buried her war blade deep into the creature's neck. It kicked and clawed, trying to kill its aggressors before it succumbed to its wounds. Soon, the creature lay dead.

"Well, that was easy," Lyira said, looking at the dead beast before her.

"Yeah." The pinkette agreed, "Though, I was hoping that it would have been stuck under the rocks. It would have made it easier."

"True, true. Well, go on. Open up its noggin." Said the pureblood, giving the tuk'ata a light kick to its side.

"I have no idea how to remove a brain!" Louise replied simply, crossing her arms in defiance.

"Neither do I," Lyira said unhelpfully.

Cradling her head in exasperation, the petite girl groaned, "Then how do you expect me to remove its brain!"

"Carefully?" Lyira supplied.

Louise looked up at her roommate, who had the most serious expression on her face, and said, in a tone of defeat, "You're no help."

"If I gave you my war blade, do you think it would help?" Lyira asked, holding out the aforementioned blade towards her roommate.

The former noble and slave looked between the large dead creature and the excessively sharp blade before releasing a deep sigh, "Immensely."

What followed was a very choppy surgery that consisted of decapitation and whittling down the head until the pinkette could remove the brain properly. Luckily, the war blade made the bigger works easy and the vibro knife made the more delict simple. Unluckly, it was an incredibly bloody mess, despite the creature having several other wounds elsewhere. Once the brain was removed, all it took was to put it in the jar. The duo left the tomb feeling enlightened; they both now knew how to remove a brain, they both knew that they would be terrible surgeons, Lyira learned that Louise was skilled at complaining, and they had learned that a tuk'ata brain was actually quite small.

All in all, it had been an informative detour.

...

"You have the brain at last!" Cheered the beefy Sith Lord, taking the plastic container containing the brain, "Wonderful, and it's in good condition too. I trust it wasn't too much trouble?"

"It died less than five minutes into the fight," Lyira responded casually.

"Of course, both of you are extensions of the Dark Side's will." He said distantly, mesmerised by the brain, "Now, I must continue my research at once. Great discoveries await!" He placed down the brain jar, and took out his datapad, "Now, on to your rewards!"

A quick transaction involving identifications later, and the two found a decent amount of credits added to their accounts. With a quick bow, both acolytes left the Sith to his work, ignoring the glare of seething hatred that a certain apprentice was sending their way.


	9. (5) Acolytes and Holodramas

**Chapter 9 -Act I- Acolytes and HoloDramas**

* * *

Korriban, as Louise had seen, was quite beautiful during the dusk. To some, the presence of man-eating monsters or treacherous tombs would be off-putting and detract from the beauty of the world.

Currently, she as sitting atop a small plateau, just over half way up one of the divides of the Valley. By her side was a dismantled blaster, the one she had acquired during her trial. An interesting piece of technology, if she said so herself. Unlike the unruly muskets and pistols, blasters were much more refined. It was standard issue, made for the officers of the Empire; a modified variant of the K-313 series. Currently, it was dismantled for training purposes. An exercise to try and fine tune her telekinesis.

To an outside observer, she may have looked as if she was meditating, but they would be wrong. Instead, she was thinking. Louise had found this place specifically for that reason, to get away from the noise of the Academy, a haven from the expectations thrust upon her.

It had been three weeks since she had gone on her trial. Tomorrow would be the day that it officially ends. She could safely say she was pleased with her current progress in the Academy. Though, that also brought up things she did not want to think about; only one can become the Apprentice, the others would die.

So, instead of thinking about that and another unsavoury topic she dreaded to think about, she turned to something that had been bothering her since her trial: Homesickness.

If her calculations were correct, it had been nearly an entire year since the Springtime Familiar Summoning, and it certainly felt like it. Louise would be lying if she said that she did not feel homesick at all; she had tried to keep thoughts of home to a minimum, only thinking about it when comparing it to the wider galaxy she found herself in. But since the talk a few weeks ago, with Lyira, her mind drifted more and more to thoughts of home.

 _How was everyone?_ She would ask herself at night.

It was a difficult question to answer, but one that was growing increasingly important as the days wore on. She missed her sisters, Cattleya especially. She missed the calm non-life-threatening aspects of the Academy of Magic, part of her even missed the insults and jeers, just because they were not aimed at a horrible part of her life.

Louise knew that her classmates would be happy, able to go to class without worrying about being exploded. The Academy would have calmed down, and new furniture and windows would not need to be bought or made. The books in the library would see less use. They would get rid of her dorm, liquidating her possessions.

The Crowns response would be an investigation; the scion of a noble house was missing and presumed dead. Perhaps her childhood friend, Princess Henrietta, would hear about it. Then again, it had been so long since they had last seen each other, she might be told, but it would just be another face on the street to her.

Her family's reaction was the most heartbreaking to imagine. Cattleya, well she worried for her; worried that her sudden absence would negatively affect her beloved sister.

Éléonore was confusing to think about, along with the rest of her family. Truly, she could not try and imagine their reaction besides silent shock; grief or relief, she could not say, but shock would be there.

Despite the homesickness, Louise knew it was not meant to be. The Sith was her home now, whether she liked it nor not; either become Sith or die. That was the rule of her life at this point.

Briefly, she thought about how Lord Zash would treat her. She had never met the woman, only seen a few scant pictures of her, so she had no idea what type of person the Lord was. Would the Sith belittle her for her former slave status? _Probably not. She asked for slaves specifically_. Would Zash treat her like Juyn did Rayne, or would she want to destroy her master like Malora did hers?

Life on Halkeginia seemed so simple compared to now. Where most students worried about their potential suitors or grades, Louise was worrying about whether she would die during her next trial or if she would have a kind master.

Another shiver cascaded throughout her body, causing the pinkette to scrunch herself up in an attempt to conserve body heat. A brief conflict battled through her mind; to enter the Academy and get warm, or to stay and relax. Deciding to go for the third unknown choice, Louise pushed herself up from the ground and began collecting any material that seemed flammable.

After a quick sweep of the immediate area around her, she managed to find a single bush that looked dead enough. Soon, the pinkette had a small pile of twigs in prime condition to start a fire. A snap of her fingers, a flash of purple lightning and quick use of the Force, and the miniature campfire was lit; a technique she would have to thank Lyira for. No longer would she have to generate a flame from nothingness.

Sitting back in the seiza position, Louise began to seep into a meditative trance, but before she could, a beeping sound pulled her back. Recognising the sound for what it was, the pinkette plucked her datapad from her belt, checking her mail.

' _Lyira – We need to get a holocommunicator._ ' Read the title, causing a slight chuckle to escape her mouth. Acolytes were mostly stuck using the mail system to contact others, which in itself was quite easy, but it made general chatting tedious. ' _Where are you at?_ '

' _Why?_ ' Louise replied, having been told that a quick and concise replied was the best for these types of conversations.

After a few seconds, a response came through, ' _Nah, just wanna talk._ '

Louise paused her fingers from typing out her answer. She really did not want others seeing her hidey-hole. _Then again, it is Lyira_. Deciding to through caution to the wind, she wrote back, ' _Walk outside the Academy and look right. Look up around that area and you will see me or a light._ '

' _Okay, be right there._ ' Came the reply a few seconds later. After another short passage of time, Louise could see a curious acolyte walk out of the Academy, looking around in her general direction before typing on something she assumed was a datapad, ' _What are you going up there?_ '

' _Relaxing. Care to join?_ ' She answered.

' _Got food?_ ' Lyira asked.

At the reminder of food, her stomach growled. Now feeling quite hungry, Louise replied with a hasty, ' _Nope._ '

' _Be right back._ ' The curious acolyte stepped back inside, probably off to get some food in the messages previous were any indication. Clipping her datapad back onto her belt, Louise decided to meditate to pass the time, focusing on fuelling the flame so it would not burn out.

An indeterminate amount of time later, and she was brought out of her trance by someone poking her cheek. "Continue doing that, and you will lose that finger," Louise warned, sensing who the interloper was.

"Someone's grumpy." Grumbled her roommate, removing the finger from the petite girl's cheek. The sound of someone flopping on the ground could be heard, as well as the sound of a container being opened. The smell of food soon followed.

"What'd you bring?" the pinkette asked, tantalised by the smell.

"Eh, nothing to fancy." Her roommate replied, taking a bite out of a pickled space worm. Looking at the small container, she could see a small variety of foods the Lyira knew they both liked.

"So, how was your day…?" Louise asked, starting off a present conversation as both parties began to talk about their days, what they did, what they wish they did, and so on. Both occasionally taking something to eat. Soon, the conversation turned down a path that she was dreading.

"Louise, something is wrong. I know it." The Sith said in concern, "you haven't been sleeping well, and you have been zoning out randomly."

"Just a little homesick." She answered casually.

"Want to tell me about it?" Lyira asked, shifting closer to the petite girl.

"It's quite personal," Louise replied defensively, subconsciously pulling her arms and legs tighter into herself.

"Says the girl who's seen me in the nude." The pureblood joked.

"Says the girl who's seen me in the nude." Louise rejoined dryly.

"Good point, but still." Lyira said seriously, "I'm your friend. I just want to help you."

"You wouldn't understand." Groused the pinkette.

"Oh really?" Said Lyira sceptically.

"Yes," Louise answered resolutely, wanting desperately for the conversation to end.

"Why not?"

Feeling backed into a corner, Louise exploded, "Because, you still have your family!" She said angrily, "I might never see mine again."

"Lou, let me stop you right there." The Sith said in an unimpressed tone, "I do know what it's like to be without your family; not knowing whether or not they are okay. My mother died during birth, then my father went off to fight in a war that took his life. My sister, who had looked after me when we were alone soon left for the Academy, leaving me alone for a year. I had no idea if I would lose her or not. So, yes, I do know what it's like to be without family."

"I'm sorry," Louise whispered, embracing the Sith in a hug.

"Don't apologise, tell me what's wrong." Lyira implored, her voice laced with concern.

So, Louise, reluctantly, went on and told her about her life. She told her of her family and how they treated her, the kindness of Cattleya, the mean-streak of Éléonore, the sternness of Mother and the disappointment of Father. She told her friend how all her life she had wanted to please her family, but no matter what, it seemed that nothing worked. She told her about her previous Academy, how the students treated her, how the teachers soon lost hope with her.

When questioned about magic, she would say that it was what they called the Force, and how it seemed like she was not sensitive to it. By the time, she had finished, she felt drained; happy that she had gotten it out of her system, and horrible that she had let her weakness show.

"There's more, isn't there?" Lyira asked, sensing that it was not over.

"More? What do you mean, more?"

"It's not just the homesickness that's getting to you." She explained, "What else is?"

"I-"

Making a leap of faith, Lyira asked, "Is it about me?"

The pinkette looked up at her roommate for a minute, before nodding her head sadly.

"Is there a problem?"

Louise paused for a moment before whispering, "I don't want you to die."

A sigh escaped the Siths mouth, "I won't."

"You don't know that!"

"Calm down." she chided lightly.

"I don't want to lose another person I care about." Whispered Louise, tightening her arms around her friend.

"Another?"

Louise made a sound of confirmation in the back of her throat, "When I was a slave, I made a friend with a Twi'lek, Renv'amor. He was the first one to meet me and comfort me. He even started teaching me Basic. Then, one day, pirates attacked. He died, and I discovered that I was Force Sensitive." She finished dully like she was speaking from a script. The nightmares might have diminished over time, but they happened on the odd occasion.

Lyira drew her friend deeper into the hug, whispering comforts to the girl. Louise allowed it to happen, longing for someone to comfort her as tears began to run. Soon, the comfortable silence was broken by Lyira, "Then let's do something together, nothing dangerous."

"Such as?" The pinkette prompted.

"We could watch a movie," Lyira suggested.

"What's a movie?" Asked Louise, confusion marring her features.

The Sith gave her roommate a strange look as if saying 'what do you mean, what's a movie?' before realisation struck, "Oh, yeah… primitive planet." She said in understanding, "Technically they're called a holodrama, or holomovie, but that's a mouth full, so movie for short. Anyway, the best way to explain it is a holographic play. You do know what a-"

"I know what a play is." The pinkette said, cutting off her roommate, "So, we're watching a play?"

"There's a difference, but you'll find that out later. But, right now," Lyira said, making a move to get up, "let's get some sleep, you look tired."

"Okay."

The next day, Louise woke more refreshed than she had in weeks, though her mood fell when she remembered that today was the last day of their trial, meaning she would be seeing Harkun. Still, wanting to get a few things done before meeting Harkun, the pinkette hopped out of bed. Finding that her roommate was nowhere to be found, she decided to perform her workout routine. In the nude of course.

The routine consisted of meditation, several push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and a few katas, then a lap or two around Ajunta Pall's tomb -Clothed of course. By the time she was finished, it was getting close to lunch, which meant that she would need to meet up with Harkun.

A quick jog back to her room, she got changed into a nice outfit, the recreation of the robes Juyn had given her, and grabbed the holocron before setting off the Harkun's office. The walk there was mostly quiet, that is until she ran into Ffon who was heading towards the Overseers office quite quickly.

Louise, not wanting to start an unneeded fight, stayed silent, glowering at him in the corner of her eye. Sadly, it was not meant to be, and Ffon soon noticed her presence.

"Well, well, _slave_ , it appears you didn't die in Marka Ragnos' tomb." The Pureblood said in a mockingly disappointed tone, "How unfortunate. Tell me, did you get the holocron, or are we expecting a little light show today?"

"Ffon," said the pinkette, returning his mocking tone with her own, "you will be disappointed to know, that I _did_ , in fact, get the holocron. How about you, did you manage to translate the texts?" Louise asked, "I mean, translation duty must be a _very_ difficult task if Harkun has you do it. I mean, the Emperor should give you a seat on the Dark Council just completing that _extremely_ tough trial."

"Shut up, slave!" he hissed, turning a corner into Overseer's office. "I'll have you know, that these texts are incredibly important." Louise did not get to replied as Ffon stomped off to be at Harkun's side, shooting the pinkette a particularly venomous glare.

Standing in the room where all the remaining acolytes, the Twins, Gerr, Ffon and Louise herself. Five left. Which means that one of the Acolytes was going to die.

"At least you lot are competent enough to not die during your trials." Harkun drawled, drawing all attention to himself, "Let's get started with the first two; Ffon, Louise, step forwards." He called, gesturing them closer. "You both should have something for me."

In an instant, Ffon had a small datacard in his hand, a victorious smirk playing at his lips, "I have finished these texts for Lord Zash." he said, passing them to Harkun.

"No doubt you have done wonderfully, Ffon." The Overseer praised as one would praise their child for painting a pretty picture, "And what of you?" He said, turning his scowling gaze upon the other acolyte, "You better not be wasting my time."

"The simplest trial I had," Louise responded casually, pulling out the holocron from her belt before handing it to him.

"Don't boast, slave." He hissed, turning the holocron around in his hands, "A fake, or stolen from the library, probably." With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the two back in line with the other Acolytes, "Balek, Wydr, step forward. You both have finished your trials, Urinth and Yin were pleased with your work, as much as I don't believe it." he said, his eyes flickering between the two in distaste before landing on a nervous looking Gerr, "Finally, Gerr. forwards" He commanded. The Acolyte obeyed reluctantly, "what of your trial?"

"I found the artefacts," He said, trying to keep his voice steady, "but… the leader still lives." Louise could see fear plain as day in his eyes, and now she knew why.

A feral grin grew across the Overseers' lips, "Well, it looks like for another demonstration." He said, moving around his desk to sit down. Then, as if asking for a beverage or some other benign order, he said, "Ffon, kill him."

Ffon looked stunned briefly, then his expression turned and mirrored Harkun's. His training saber moved from his back to his hand in an instant as he stalked towards the terrified Acolyte. Gerr quickly turned tail to run out of the room but was stopped by a blast of lightning to the back.

Louise desperate wanted to help. To save him from the fate that had befallen acolytes previous, but she could not. To do so was paramount with suicide. So, Louise watch as Ffon began to toy with Gerr, electrocuting him, only to let the man try and run out of the room before he was blasted again. Then it was over. Three strikes with his training saber, and Ffon had killed Gerr.

Sheathing his bloodied weapon, Ffon turned and flashed the pinkette a smirk. In that moment, she knew that the drawn-out death was for her, and her specifically. A fear tactic to scare Louise into submission. However, instead of getting the reaction he had expected, the petite girl returned his smirk with a look of utter contempt.

"Let Gerr be an example to you." Harkun spoke, drawing attention back to him, "Ffon destroyed him easily, just as he will destroy all of you. Any objections?" Louise did not trust herself to speak, so elected to glare quietly at the murderer, "No, well." He grabbed his datapad then began to read from it, "Wydr, you are to assist a Sith Lord with excavating a new area inside Ajunta Pall's tomb. You will find him near the entrance.

"Balek, there is a group of imperials who need assistance with dealing with a pest problem. You will find them near the skycar bay.

"Ffon, Lord Zash has asked for several texts inside Tulak Hord's tomb, you will find them in the antechamber, the machine vault and the archives."

"Louise, the lucky last. Lord Kahn has found a cave system leading to a rediscovered tomb in the valley. He requires help exploring it. You'll find him in his office on the second floor." Putting the datapad down, he looked back up at the gathered acolytes. "You all know your trials. Again, you only have two months. Now get out of my sight, and take the corpse with you."

Ffon was the first out the door, obviously not wanting to help take care of the body. Louise, feeling somewhat responsible for the brutal death of Gerr, stayed behind with the twins to take it away. The pinkette had no idea what to do with the body. Really, she had no idea what the Sith did with their dead, but the theories that ran through her head at that moment made her hesitant to ask a nearby Sith. Instead, she took the body out of the Academy and off to an area where they could properly dispose of it.

Soon, the twins and their pink leader arrived at a secluded alcove where Louise ordered the body to be placed.

"You're not just going to leave him to the animals, are you?" Asked one of the Twins, concerned.

Louise shook her head, "Of course, not. I wanted to give him a proper send-off." She explained, "Cremation seems like the better option anyway."

"Sorry. Is this what a funeral is like?" One of them asked.

"You haven't been to a funeral?" She replied shocked.

"No. When our mother died, she was just tossed away." They replied, in a tone that suggested it was the norm for them.

In that moment, Louise remembered that they too were slaves, and had it worse than she ever had. "I suppose this is a funeral." She answered softly, positioning the acolyte into a respectable position, moving his training blade to the centre of his chest with the arms holding it in place. She knew how burial rites worked in the Empire and the Sith, but knew that neither of those would be suitable for the young acolyte. "have any of you progressed with fire manipulation?" she asked the pair.

"Kind of." Wydr answered, "We can manipulate it to a degree."

"But we have had no luck with generating a flame." The other finished.

"It doesn't matter, you will only need that," Louise replied, creating a simple spark with Force Lightning to quickly start a small flame. Splitting the small orb of fire in half, she handed them to the twins, "If you can, try and make them as big as you can."

Following her instructions, the twins made fireballs of varying sizes. It was obvious that Balek had more skill with it as his was the size of his head, whereas his brothers was a fraction of the size. Louise then asked the twins to combine the fireballs with her own and lower it down onto Gerr's corpse.

As the flames began to eat away at the dead acolyte, Louise began reciting the Sith Code, thinking it would fit the occasion, "Peace is a Lie, there is only Passion."

However, before she could get to the second verse, Wydr continued for her, "Through Passion, I gain Strength."

"Through Strength, I gain Power," His brother said, picking up from where he left off.

"Through Power, I gain Victory," said Louise.

"Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall set me free." The three acolyte finished in unison.

Once they finished the Code, the fell into a mournful silence until the body was nothing but ash; something that happened quicker with the use of the Force. Once that happened, they left. The twins were the first to leave, letting Louise deal with the flames. But the only thing on her mind once the brothers left, was that there was only four left. _Me, Ffon, Wydr and Balek… who will die next?_

On that sour note, Louise left to go see if her roommate could cheer her up.

...

[' _O Derithir, O Derithir, wherefore art thou Derithir?_ '] called the holographic image of a female Zabrak donned in Jedi attire, of to the bustling cityscape of Coruscant, [' _Deny thy name and refuse thy rank; or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love and I'll no longer be a Jedi._ ']

Just out of view, a being who's featured were obscured by a black hood listened into the Jedi's inner turmoil. [' _Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?_ '] he whispered.

Ignorant of the shrouded being out of view, the Jedi continued to complain to the impassive city, [' _Tis but thy name that is my enemy: Thou art thyself, though not a Sith. What's a Sith? It is nor hand nor foot, nor arm nor face, nor any other part belonging to a being…_ ']

When Louise came to Lyira to be cheered up, the pureblood had first consoled her about the death of the Acolyte, then offered to watch a holodrama with her, just as they had talked about the night previous. The pinkette had agreed, hoping to see something nice and awe inspiring. What she got was a romantic tragedy: _Derithir and Hirient_. The prologue seemed interesting enough, a story about two people, a Jedi and a Sith, who fall in love. There was even a fight scene in the beginning. But it became rather tragic as the 'movie' continued.

As it progressed, Louise's mind drifted off to how her homeworld would react to such a play, especially the nobility as blood feuds, while not common, existed. Silently she snorted at the idea of an adaptation between her family and Kirche's. _Then again, it might happen eventually._ A traitorous part of her mind said.

By the end of the holofilm, the pinkette would have to say that her friend was absolutely terrible at trying to cheer her up. A tragic ending with both the main characters committing suicide because one thought the other was dead. Lyira, while having seen the holomovie before, still reacted badly at that point. Not that Louise faired any better, it being the first time she had seen it. "So, how was that for your first holodrama?" the pureblood asked, turning off the holoprojector.

"It was wonderfully made," The petite human replied, wiping the wetness from her eyes, "Better than the plays I had seen with my family…"

"I can smell a 'but' coming along." Said Lyira.

"Yes, well." Louise began, "I was hoping for something to cheer me up. Not make me want to go and stab myself with a sharp implement. Not that Harkun would mind." She added bitterly.

"Oh, cheer up." Comforted the pureblood.

"I would, but I just watched that." The pinkette said, gesturing to the holoprojector.

"Fine, you want to watch a film to cheer you up?" the Sith asked, "How about an action vid."

Louise considered it for a moment before nodding in agreement, "Action sounds nice."

"Well, off the top of my head…" Lyira began, " _Revan and the Mandalorian wars_ ; loosely based on the actual event. Traces the story of Revan before he became a Sith Lord.

 _"_ _Dead Experiments_ ; a genetics research base creates something that should not have been created and it starts killing people. A bit more horror than you might want, but still.

 _"_ _Visitor_ ; a republic transport carrying a Sithspawn crashes down on the planet. The only survivors are a Jedi and the Sithspawn. The native species and the Jedi must work together to stop the creature from killing everyone."

Louise considered her options for a moment before saying, " _Dead Experiments_ does sound interesting, but I am not too sure about the horror aspect. I would have to say, _Visitor_."

" _Visitor_ it is then!" Lyira replied enthusiastically.

"Yes, but after that, I wouldn't mind going to see about my trial," Louise warned.

...

Four movies. Each roughly around two hours long, adding up to an approximation of eight hours. That was how much time had passed and Louise was barely conscious. Part of her realised that she should have already gone and seen Lord Kahn about her trial. Part of her wanted to watch another movie. Part of her was enjoying the pillow she had unknowingly made out of her sleeping roommate. And the majority of her was unconscious.

Absently, the petite girl shifted around, trying to get comfortable, however, it had the unwarranted effect of waking her roommate. Half-lidded green eyes drowsily looked around the room; the last thing she had remembered was Louise pleading with her to watch another movie, then nothing. The movie they chose was not even a good one, an adaptation of a sappy romance novel.

"Lou?" Lyira called, looking down at the semi-conscious being snuggling into her, "Lou, wake up." The pinkette did not wake, only continuing to shift. "Louise, move… I-I can't feel my arm."

This time, the pinkette did respond. Shifting once again, Louise's kneaded her head into the softest part of the pillow, mumbling, "Cattleya, avez-vous obtenu plus petit?"

A faint blush worked itself onto the purebloods face, not because she understood what was said; she understood absolutely nothing about what the pinkette had said. But because of where her roommate was snuggling her head into. It felt quite uncomfortable.

However, Lyira did not have to worry about the uncomfortable nature of her roommate for much longer. After a pregnant pause as her sleep addled brain tried to process what was said, Louise's eyes opened and looked up at the person she was laying on. It took a few moments for her brain to make a connection to what was said and who it was said to, but once it did, the pinkette shot up, backpedalling away from the Sith, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she shouted, her face turning red in embarrassment.

"Calm down," Lyira said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "I didn't even understand what you said."

"I am sorry," Louise said again.

"What did you say?" A quiet mumble was all she got in reply. Growing intrigued, she told the pinkette to speak louder.

"I thought you were my sister," Louise admitted quietly, her face still red, "and asked if you had gotten smaller." she continued, gesturing to her chest.

It took a second for Lyira to connect the dots, but once she did, she started barking in laughter. So much so, that she fell off the bed.

Upon hearing her friend's mirth, the pinkette's embarrassment turned to annoyance. "It's not funny!" she pouted.

"Yes, it is!" The Pureblood continued to laugh for a few seconds more before her mouth changed to a sly grin, "Tell me, how big is your sister?"

Louise gave the Sith the most scandalised expression she had ever seen, "Why would you want to know that!"

"just curious…" The Sith said nonchalantly.

"No!"

"Aw, come on." Lyira pouted.

"What time is it?" Louise asked suddenly, wanting to change subject.

"Don't dodge the question."

"Go to sleep!" The pinkette said after checking the time on her datapad.

"Louise-"

"Sleep."

"But I just woke up…" The red woman argued, looking to her roommate. Louise's petulant glare told her she would not win, "fine."


	10. (6-I) Illusions of Pain, part I

**Chapter 10 -Act I- Illusions of Pain, Part I**

* * *

The next day, Louise woke up with a terrible ache in her back and a blurred memory she recognised as yesterday. She remembered Harkun, getting her trial, Gerr's death and funeral, but beyond that, nothing but a swirl of colour and noise. Knowing that she had to get up, the pinkette slid off the bed and began to get ready for the day.

A quick check to see if Lyira was still asleep in bed found that the raven-haired girl was out. Pleased once again with her luck, she performed the different workouts before getting dressed. Once dressed in her acolyte uniform and armed with her training blade and blaster, Louise quickly dipped in for breakfast, before heading off on her day. The first thing on her list was to check out her new trial.

Knowing the floor, but not the room Lord Kahn was in, Louise began to ask the different guards around the higher floors for the missing Sith. Soon enough, she was shown Kahn's office.

Bidding her guide goodbye, the pinkette entered the office carefully, knowing that some Sith were temperamental when disturbed. "Excuse me?" she called, into the room.

"Yes?" A strong voice replied, coming from the adjoining room. A few footsteps later, and a being Louise could only describe as tall and attractive entered. "Ah, yes. You must be the acolyte Harkun has sent me."

"I am, my lord," Louise replied, craning her neck to look the man's face -if she were to guess, he was nearly two feet taller than her. It was obvious that he had spent much time delving deep into the Dark Side if the yellow eyes were any indication, oddly enough though his skin was milkier than those like Lord Renning. He was quite a slim man, with a more simplistic style of dress than some of the Sith she had seen, dressed in a dark tailed tunic and equally dark pants and boots.

"Good, good. Now, I suppose you would like to know more about what your trial will entail?" Kahn asked, delicately raising an eyebrow in a way that made the pinkette nervous.

"Yes, my lord." She answered absently, still taking in the handsome man's appearance.

"It's quite simple." The Lord said, "During our excavations, we managed to uncover a new tomb. We suspect that the tomb is that of Ludo Kressh. Your trial is simple, go in and acquire any artefact you deem important. Now that you're finally here, I'll be heading over to the tomb promptly; care to join me?"

"Yes, my lord," Louise said again. Kahn inclined his head and began to strut towards the exit, the pinkette following closely behind.

The journey to the tomb was a by no means long, only passing by Ajunta Pall's tomb, but the view she had the entire walk, made it more than a simple trek. Exiting said tomb, the pinkette was directed towards a small gathering of beings; two officers, three soldiers and half a dozen slaves, each with some sort of mining apparatus. Absently, Louise rubbed the back of her neck.

"Here we are!" Kahn exclaimed once they drew near the group. "The tomb is right in there, just follow the tunnels and you should find your way." He continued, gesturing to a cave like opening behind the group. _Odd, I didn't notice that._ "Don't worry about light, we've set up a few excavation stakes throughout the cave system."

"Is there anything else I should know, my lord?" Louise asked, hoping for any more information she could get her hands on.

Instead of Kahn answering, it was one of the nearby officers, "The tomb, at least according to our sensors, is devoid of life. There are markings inside the tunnels that show lightsaber damage, but the youngest is about three to four hundred years old."

"Your sensors?" The pinkette echoed, "Has anyone entered the tomb?"

"No, not in recent history." The Sith answered, "We would have sent the slaves in first, to scope out the area, but we are a bit hesitant to do so these days, especially with the concentration of Dark Side energies seeping out of that tomb. We don't need _another_ Ragnos incident."

"So," she began, drawing out the word, "I am going in blind?"

"It wouldn't be much of a trial if you knew everything, now would it." Lord Kahn joked, before musing, "Then again, by the time you leave, you would know more than us. No matter, just head in there, get something of value and get out. Simple as that."

"Yes, my lord," Louise said, though, a small part of her knew that it would not be as simple as the Sith hoped.

...

True to the Sith Lords words, the caves were lit by small light poles that had been staked into the ground at various intervals. Finding the entrance of the tomb was quite easy, especially as all the tunnels seemed to end in the same place.

The entrance was across a man-made bridge that contrasted the natural cave it was built. Though, it was not the most out of place structure, that instead belonged to the entrance. If she were to guess, it was made from a heavy duty durasteel. It was nestled off to the side of the cave, and she would have missed it had it not been for the lights guiding the way. It looked like an older version of the blast doors of the Imperial Transport that brought her to Korriban, used to keep wandering hopefuls away from the more important parts of the ship.

Cautiously, she approached the entrance, but as she drew near, she began to feel… _something_ change. As she got closer, the feeling got stronger, bigger, and it was then that she realised the Sith Lord's words were true. The Dark Side was strong here, but at the same time it was twisted and felt… wrong. Mentally, she shrugged but continued to be weary of the tomb as she began to examine the door, quickly finding the control panel to open it.

The door slid open without error, granting entrance.

Beyond the door was a long dark hallway built from smooth cut stone. From where she was standing, she could see a dimly lit room, sitting innocently at the end. Louise took in a deep breath, then began walking. As she walked through the hall, she started to notice a presence, an unfamiliar presence, but the second she tried to lock onto it, it vanished.

Eventually, Louise reached the end of the hall and entered the dim antechamber which leads to three different halls. Inspecting her choices, the pinkette found that the path to the left and right lead to dark rooms, with only the way, forwards lighting her way. It seemed like a simple decision, and it was, but before she could even pass the half way mark, the sounds of footsteps echoing behind her made her pause.

In a second, she had spun around, her blaster and training blade in hand. However, it seemed her worry was unfounded because out of the darkened hall came two imperial soldiers dressed in their dark armour and features obscured by their bucket shaped helmets.

"What are you two doing here?" Louise asked the faceless and nameless soldiers, sheathing her weapons.

Before the two could answer, another voice called out, once again from behind her, "To do my bidding."

Louise internally shuddered once she recognised the voice. "Harkun!?" She exclaimed in surprise.

"Surprised to see me, _slave_?" He spat in return.

Immediately, Louise's face lost all expression, "You're not supposed to interfere with our trials, _Overseer_."

"You do not tell me what I can and can't do, but it doesn't matter, I am not interfering with an Acolytes trial." The Overseer explained, grinning smugly, "I am dealing with a runaway slave who doesn't know her place."

Before she could react, Louise felt four metal-clad hands restrain her arms in a bone crushing grip. Her training saber and blaster were confiscated with the former being cut in half by , something unmistakably metal was pressed against the back of her neck before an audible beep accompanied by a painful pinch. The four hands released, pushing her to the ground.

Immediately, her hands shot towards the thing on her neck, feeling the objects familiar shape with growing horror. "No, no! You… you can't!" Louise stammered, pulling at the shock collar with a hint of disbelief.

Her breathing began to quicken with each tug. The feeling of her skin being pulled and stretched hammering in the reality of what was happening. Louise began to look around the room for anything that would reveal this to be a cruel joke played on her to show her place. Yet, none could be found. "... No, no! No, you can't do this! I am not a slave!" She screeched, as she ripped forcefully at the collar on her neck, no longer caring about the pain.

A second later, Louise was convulsing on the floor screaming, her body ravaged by the familiar feeling of electricity. "One shock for trying to remove your shock collar," Harkun said in a drawl tone, his finger pressed down on the controller. The collar continued to do as it was designed for a few more moments until the Overseer ceased pressing the button.

The Acolyte tried to push herself off the floor but was met by a boot slamming her back to the ground. "Another for misbehaviour," The Sith Lord said again, activating the collar once more.

When the electrocution finally stopped, Louise had no strength. She tried to move her arms, but the movements were slow and sluggish, her legs felt as if they were being weighed down by stones. Despite the effects, the pinkette continued to try and fight, pushing back the blackness that threatened to overtake her.

"Not going to try and get up?" He asked lazily, "Are you really that weak? Hmm, I guess that should be another shock for disappointing your master."

Louise tensed her muscles for the pain she knew was to come. She needed to fight back but the pain of the shock collar did not come.

"No, I don't think shocking you would work anymore." Harkun said eventually, "You've had a taste of freedom, of power. I think we might have to do something more… permanent. Ffon?" He called.

"Yes, my lord?." The voice of the Pureblood responded eagerly from somewhere behind her.

Despite being unable to see the Overseer, Louise knew that he was grinning smugly, "Will you do the honours?"

"With pleasure." Ffon replied, "You two, restrain her."

Once again, Louise felt the two sets of strong arms restrain both her arms perpendicular to her body. Memories of the first week at the slave mines began flooding back and with it a hurricane of hate and anger. She tried to shout and curse, but her throat was raw with pained screams, so instead she focused on trying to free herself, but even then, it was all for naught; their grips were too strong and her limbs were too weak.

She felt someone grab her hair, pulling it up along with her head. Before she could see what was happening, no less vocalise her discomfort, the glowing white of superheated metal was shoved inches from her face. Her fear began to crawl back, digging its roots into her as the branding iron was waved casually waved in front of her. "Perhaps we should start with your face?" Ffon mused aloud, "No, not yet..."

Her hate and anger turned swiftly to desperation upon realising what would be branded onto her skin. Efforts were redoubled in her attempt to escape, even more so when Ffon moved out of view. She needed to escape, to fight back, but she could do nothing, she was not strong enough to stop what was happening, something she hated herself for.

Soon, the sound of sizzling skin and agonised screams resonated in the chamber.

The smell of bubbling flesh was barely noticed by Louise as the pain seemed to block out everything else. Soon, the branding iron was removed along with the four restraining arms, however, this did nothing to alleviate the pain.

"Oh, yes, that did come out quite nicely. Well done, Ffon." Harkun praised, presumably examining the new brand on her skin. "Slave, you should come see this, it is quite remarkable."

Louise felt someone, Ffon, Harkun or one of the guards, grab her head before twisting it roughly to face her arm, "Do you like what you see?" The Pureblood asked from out of view. Not that she truly cared who was speaking.

Tears began to run down her face when she looked upon her burnt flesh. The word 'SLAVE' was written down her upper arm in Aurebesh. Louise felt something crack inside her as the gravity of what had happened came slamming down on her. Forever, she would be marked with proof of her enslavement, proof that she was once nothing more than property. Even if it were for only for a short time, it had a larger impact on her than she would care to admit; and now, everyone who looked upon her would know what she was.

In hindsight, she missed being called a Zero.

"Where should I brand next, Overseer?" Ffon asked, holding the iron just in front of her face.

"As you said before, go for the face. At least then, it will be more difficult to hide," Harkun responded.

"I wonder, Slave, if I could melt your lips together?" questioned the pureblood sadistically, kneeling down in front of her with the iron dangling just before her face, "I guess we'll just have to find out."

Soon, Louise found herself on her back with Ffon straddling her. With one hand he brandished the branding iron close to her face, and with the other, he was holding her head still.

In that moment, she felt her mind clear and immediately knew that this was the best time to move. Using the power of the Dark Side to invigorate her limbs, she grabbed the iron in both hands, redirecting it away from her face and back towards Ffon. With Ffon distracted, Louise quickly shot her hand out and summoned Harkun's lightsaber to her hand.

The second her hand touched the weapon, all the pain and ache seemed to dissipate and new strength seemed to fill her bones. Pressing the activation stud with haste, she struck at the recoiling Pureblood. Quickly, she removed the now dead Pureblood from atop her, before sending a telekinetic blast towards his master.

Immediately, she jumped to her feet, just as blaster fire filled the room. Some she dodged, other she deflected. A few choice slashes later, and the only two beings left alive was Louise and Harkun.

The pinkette turned to face the Sith Lord, her eyes burning with absolute hatred and ungodly fury. Thoughts on how to deal with the cockroach before her started flying through her head. She did not want him to scream, to beg for mercy; that would be too easy.

No, she wanted him to be in so much pain, that screaming would be impossible, she wanted him to beg for the sweet merciful embrace of death. She wanted him to have no hope, no will to live. Sadly, she knew that what she wanted was unattainable. She was too inexperienced in torture, and the longer he lived, the better chance he had of getting free. So, instead, she raised his lightsaber and brought it down.

The instant the crimson blade hit Harkun, her world erupted into pain, then finally darkness.

When she came too, Louise found herself lost, confused and alone. All she knew was that she was in a tomb and her body felt as if it had been ripped apart at the atomic level, then rebuilt several times.

Slowly the events trickled back to the forefront of her mind; the soldiers, Harkun, Ffon, and most importantly, the torture she went through. Fresh tears began to flow, blurring her vision. Louise laid there for a time, silently sobbing to herself as if the sound of her crying would bring Harkun back. Soon, however, she ran out of tears, and her cheeks dried and she began to take more notice of her surroundings.

One part, though, stopped her dead in her mental tracks. There laying on the stone ground, was her training saber, but that was not the strange thing. The strange thing was that the training blade was _intact_.

The image of Harkun slicing her training blade in half sat, burning a hole in her mind as a flame through parchment. Yet, here her blade was, sitting there intact.

The next second, her training saber was in hand. Once the runes washed the pain away, Louise pulled herself up before examining the impossibility before her. Thoughts of it being a fake or that it was someone else's were silenced upon noticing the several battle marks that she had been unable to mend; the gash from Lyira's warblade being one of the more prominent ones.

Despite the pain-numbing effects of the runes, Louise felt as if a headache was beginning to form as she tried to wrap her head around what had happened. The urge to scream and shout overcame her as she was overwhelmed by a series of emotions; fear, anger, hate and confusion being the main four. In the end, she decided against it. She was tired and just wanted to leave. With that, she began her walk back to the entrance, though one could see in her stance, that she was ready for anything.

Soon she arrived back at the entrance, feeling a sense of relief wash over her as she neared. However, that relief was short lived as when she tried to operate the control panel for the door, she got nothing in return. Again, she tried, thinking it was some sort of malfunction, then another, and another and another. Soon, she started to get the feeling that something was wrong with the panel, and tried to find another way of opening it; once again, to no avail.

Dread filled her heart as she found no way to open the door despite her best attempts. Soon, she had devolved into complete panic. Her small, yet strong, fists thumped against the durasteel door in a feeble attempt to gain the attention of the outside world. She had even discarded her weapons, stopping the numbing effects of the runes, to try and open the door, but all she accomplished was more pain.

Louise would not say she was claustrophobic, but an intense feeling of the walls closing in on her and the darkness encroaching in did not help her condition. When she looked back down the hall, she could no longer see the dim light of the antechamber, but instead a murky darkness that seemed to move like murky water.

That was when the voices began.

" _You cannot leave..._ " At first, it was barely a whisper on the horizon, but as the seconds passed, the voices grew, frightening the small acolyte. " _Failure..._ " Louise quickly created a small flame in her hands to light the room, but even then, she could not see a source for the voices. " _Never escape..._ " To her horror, as the voices got louder, she began to recognise the owners, but it was impossible; Guiche, Kirche, Montmorency, others from her old school. " _Forever our's..._ " It was impossible, yet she could hear them clearly. " _Zero_..." Not only that, but she could make out other voices, Lyira, Kory, Zyn, the twins and many others. " _Slave..._ "

"Shut up!" she shouted, but the voices would not listen. "Shut up, shut up!" against, she yelled for the voices to silence, the sound grating on her sanity. Finally, she could not take it anymore, "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!" She screeched, attacking the darkness with her fire, and sending stray bolts of lightning every which way. When that did not work, she renewed her attempts to beat down the door, slamming her fists into it, "Let me out! Please, let me out!" She pleaded, "Help!"

The banging drowned out the voices for a moment, but soon overwhelmed even the loudest noises she could create. Eventually, she ceased her thumping, choosing instead to fall to the floor, covering her ears with her bloody hands as she screamed at the voices to stop.

Miraculously, it worked.

The voices subsided, and the darkness dissipated, revealing the dim light at the end of the hall once again. However, it took a few minutes to realise it. Once she did she took a few moments to compose herself. Eventually, Louise pulled herself from the dusty floor, bracing herself against the door when it seemed like she was to fall and hesitated.

Staring out into the darkness, she could not help but feel overwhelmed by the silence. She feared that if silence prevailed, the voices would come back. So, she began mumbling, she mumbled various things that she read and heard over the years; quotes from famous books and plays, passages from _the Founder's Prayer Book_ , even things that she did not even remember reading or hearing.

She knew that she needed to move, that to stay still was certain death. _Not that death wouldn't be favourable._ A dark part of her mind whispered. So, Louise began to walk down the hall once again, at first, she took it steadily, her legs feeling weak, but soon picked up the pace.

Yet, as she walked, she felt the silence encroaching in again, the small comforts of nostalgia meant nothing to the unstoppable silence that continued to hold its ground; those words had no power over the Darkness. That was until the first verse of the Sith Code left her lips, and the Dark paused.

Louise stopped, looking around. She was back in the chamber where… where _that_ happened. She turned her head, looking down the paths on the left and the right. She knew, she felt, that there was nothing for her down those paths. The only way was forwards. "Peace is a Lie," she repeated loudly. "There is only Passion."

Out of view, the twin shades of Harkun and Ffon dissipated as they made a grab for her.

Louise continued on, muttering the Sith Code to herself, again and again. Soon, she entered another chamber. This one larger, longer than the previous. The smell of beasts and death hung in the room. Old bones, eroded by time lay haphazardly.

She felt the silence encroaching again, but held strong. "Through Passion, I gain Strength." the pinkette said clearly, reciting the second verse that called to her. The silence let her pass, warning her of pain and anguish under barbs of weakness and failure.

Another hallway, another room. This one split by a ravine with a single wide stone bridge being the only way forwards. The two sides were spacious, allowing for about forty people to stand comfortably on each side. A part of her mind screamed in the back of her head that it was a trap, but she knew no other way.

She paused at the beginning of the bridge, looking down off the side and into the ravine. However, due to the dullness of the lighting, she could not see so much as a few meters' down. Below that point was just an ugly darkness that looked as if it were to swallow one whole should they even dare to touch it. A more rational mind would have scoffed at the thought, but Louise felt rationality was all but lost on the tomb.

Nevertheless, Louise pressed on, eventually reaching the centre of the bridge. That was when the impossible happened.

"Louise!" Called a voice from behind, sending shivers down her spine and ice into her veins. It was a familiar voice, one she was incredibly familiar with, no matter how soft to usually was. Louise could not remember the last time she had heard it, however. It was one that she had connected with comfort and an early age, a voice connected to someone who she could tell her wildest secrets to, one that would praise her thoughts, no matter how unorthodox, no matter how improper.

Yet, it was the single fact that she was hearing the voice at all that caused her to be rooted to the spot. She wanted to run, to flee, to use everything in her power to leave that room then and there, but she also felt the need to turn and face the speaker, if only to see her one more time. Common sense, of course, agreed with the former course of action, but then again… "Louise, please!"

Slowly, the pinkette turned her head to face the speaker.

"Cattleya?" she croaked in disbelief. Instantly, her fear turned to sorrow and longing. There standing at the base of the bridge, was her big sister, looking ever so much as a taller, more filled out version of Louise. Dressed in everyday wear consisting of her favoured frilly white blouse and her rosewood floor-length skirt. Inside, she knew it was not real, it was all fake, a dream, a vision, something, and yet, she still asked, "Wh-how are you here!? Impossible, you can't! How-?"

Every word she said followed by a measured step towards her sister, however, before was within arms reach of her, another voice called out desperately, "Louise, don't leave me!"

Instead of the slow cautious turn, she had done with her sister, Louise's head snapped right around when she heard the second voice. Standing on the opposite side of the bridge was Lyira, dressed in the simple acolyte's uniform and brandishing her war blade. "Don't go with her!" The pureblood pleaded.

"Don't listen to her, little Louise." Another voice called, and there stood Éléonore by Cattleya's side, her face as stern as ever, "Your place is with us."

"No, it's with us, her friends!" called the familiar voice of Wydr, appearing with his brother right behind Lyira.

"With her Kingdom." The urge to turn and bend the knee, while weak, was still there. Louise felt as if she had been punched in the gut when she looked upon the newest apparition; Princess Henrietta de Tristain, looking ever so much like the paintings she had seen of her, only more beautiful and mature than the artist could ever imprint.

Louise, for her part, was extremely confused and worried. On either side of her were illusions of people she cared about, on one side were those from her homeworld, and on the other where the living friends she had made in the Empire. A longing pain began to flourish in her heart as she looked between her sisters and the Princess; again the more rational side tried to remind herself that it was all an illusion, but every argument it made was beaten back simply because she could see them, hear them again.

"Louise, please come home." Cattleya pleaded again.

"Her home is with me," Lyira countered passionately, "with us!"

'"Why would she want to live with you savages! You all enslaved her!" Henrietta's comment cut through the air, silencing everyone for a moment. Louise felt as if her childhood friend had slapped her; she may have been a slave, but it was not any of her friend's fault for any of that, it was how the Empire was run that enslaved her.

Lyira, and the twins, both glared hatefully down on Henrietta, "We did not!" the Pureblood roared back, "We gave her a chance, we gave her a true home!"

"A chance?" Éléonore echoed, "You would have my little sister drown in blood before she ever got anywhere!"

Something ignited in Louise when her sister said her words, flames of anger burned again as memories of her eldest sister belittling her for her lack of magic. "And that is my choice!" the pinkette shouted angrily, speaking for the first time in the exchange.

"You… you're going to join them?" Éléonore asked softly, her face contorted in an expression that the petite Acolyte could not remember seeing on her sister; hurt.

Louise did not answer. No, instead, she stood there, memorising every detail of their being, as if she were looking at them for the first time. How Henrietta had changed, grown into her features and how she had developed into a beautiful princess. How Éléonore was still as stern as she had remembered, with her long blonde hair she inherited from their father, and the striking pink eyes she got from their mother. And most of all, Cattleya, who still brought comfort to Louise despite the frown on her lips.

Inside, she knew this to be fake. Her sisters, most definitely the Princess, could not be here. They were back on Halkeginia doing Force knows what. But when she looked into their eyes, all logic left the window. She needed them to be real, to be there for her, to comfort her. Right here, right now, they were real, at least to her.

She turned her head towards the others.

Lyira, Balek and Wydr. Her friends, her three only living friends. She had a connection to them she never had with the princess or her sisters. They all acted how she had seen the students at the Academy of Magic acted, laughing and joking around with each other, sparing, or even just hanging out around the academy, Lyira especially. Each looking at her with the same look in their eyes, all wanting her to stay with them. Memories of the night before brought fleeting joy to her heart when she looked upon the Pureblood.

If she returned home, she could get away from Harkun and see her family for real. Then the doubt set in. _Would I be regulated back to being the failure daughter of a duchess? Would the church accept me as I am now? I have killed, taken lives, most of the time without a second thought. Would my family even want her back after what I've done? Do I even want that anymore?_

 _But what of the life I have created here?_ She asked herself, here in the Empire, she had access to teachers who could help her master the power she had been granted. Beyond that? While it was no secret that being a Sith was difficult, it did sound more appealing then becoming some trophy wife. There was also Lyira and the Twins to think about, her first real friends. _But only one can be the apprentice_. A cynical part of her mind reminded her. Would she have to kill her two best friends? She loathed the thought.

In the end, there was only one choice, which was why, when Louise made hers, she walked over to their side with her head held in shame. "Yes." She answered softly.

"Why?" came the pained question of her sister. Louise felt an urge to run over and give her a hug as she used to, but pulled back, feeling unfit to even look her sister in the eye.

"I'm sorry Cattleya, Éléonore, Henrietta, but I can't. This is my home now, my life." Louise answered, steeling herself. "I made my choice several months ago, and I still think that this is the best choice. I'm sorry."

"You made the right choices, Louise," Lyira whispered in her ear.

An incensed grown emanated from Éléonore, "Louise, you will come home with us!" she exclaimed stubbornly.

"She made a choice," Balek answered, "she will stay."

Without warning, Éléonore's wand whipped into her hand, unleashing a barely visible needle of air towards Balek, puncturing a hole through his head. The Acolyte dropped to the floor dead with a loud thump.

The next few moments passed in a blur; only a few things she knew for certain; Éléonore was the first to die when her head was ripped from her shoulders by Wydr in a fit of uncomprehending fury, Henrietta killed Wydr moments after, and she fell to Lyira's warblade.

By the time, she could comprehend what had happened, the fighting was nearly done. Cattleya had conjured arms of iron to restrain Lyira, before summoning a large metal needle, pointing it at the purebloods neck.

"I will not let you corrupt my little sister any longer!" Her sickly sister shouted vehemently, sound angrier than Louise had ever heard.

She tried to run up and stop her sister, but from the floor rose two chains like arms of stone, restraining the Acolyte by the wrists.

"No! Sister, don't! Please don't hurt her!" Louise pleaded as she struggled against the restraints, trying desperately to free herself to stop her sister.

"I'm sorry, Louise. But I have to." Cattleya said mournfully, bringing her wand up for the strike, but before she could make the final move with her wand, a wave of pressure slammed into her, sending her hurtling into the stone walls with a crack.

Louise stood frozen, with a look of unimaginable horror on her face as she looked between her still sister and her outstretched hand. A numbing sensation spread throughout her entire body as began to redouble her efforts to break free from the stone restraints.

"No, no, no, no, no… No!" The pinkette shouted, using both the Force and her rune-enhanced physiology to power through the restraints. Moments later, she was over to her unmoving sister's side, muttering many words of disbelief under her breath. "No, no, you can't. Please, don't be…"

Tentatively, she made a move to try and flip her sister over, but the second she touched Cattleya, her sister vanished into thin air.

The pinkette sat there frozen, her hands still in position to flip her sister. Despite knowing that it was an illusion, she still got ensnared in it, and for that, Louise felt most of her anger directed at herself in this moment. She was fooled into thinking that her sister had been hurt, that Cattleya was going to kill Lyira, but if the lack of breathing was a clue, her roommate was just as much an apparition as the rest of them.

Louise had no idea what to do. Was she even going in the right direction, or had the illusions sunken their claws in deep enough to keep her running around in circles. The thought was believable enough. But she did not even have the power to prove that she was not sitting on the ceiling for all she knew.

So, she did the only thing she could, she continued on.

Off the bridge, she walked down another dark hallway, eventually reaching a crossroads. Tensing, Louise waited for another vision to play out, yet nothing came. Still not thinking she was safe yet, she started to look down the two options she had.

To her left, she could see a hall leading to a large chamber with a tall statue in the corner. To her right, was a dark hall that turned off somewhere else. In her mind, she knew that the left hall was the better choice, that it was the way forwards, but as she turned to walk down her chosen path, something called out to her in the Force.

Immediately, she wanted to get as far away from the thing that called, but it continued calling. It was not malicious, that much Louise could discern, no, it felt desperate. Just as she was, it was trapped in the tomb, pleading for anyone to come and rescue it, or at least that was what she assumed.

The call overrode common sense and Louise began to backtrack, down the path that called. Taking a left when the hall turned, Louise found herself in a small room. Scattered bones, claw marks and plasma burns betrayed a battle that took place, and in the centre of it all, was a pile of bones and rags. She knew that the pile was the source of the call, or at least covering what was calling.

Carefully, she approached the pile, using her training saber to move push the bones and rags around. The dull clang of metal hitting stone resonated over her mumbling, and Louise knew she had found what she was looking for; it practically sang through the Force.

Summoning the object to her off hand, she was immediately bombarded with knowledge of the weapon and how to use it. Pressing the small activation stud, summoned a blazing amber blade, nearly three feet in length. Louise could not believe her luck, she had found a lightsaber of all things. It was then that doubt started to trickle in.

 _Was this an illusion?_ She thought, scanning the room for anything suspicious. Thoughts of leaving the obviously old weapon behind flashed into her mind, but as soon as they did, the call became stronger. It was as if the lightsaber wanted her to have it.

Confusion and suspicion reigned supreme as Louise decided on what to do. In the end, she decided to keep it and face whatever the tomb would throw at her. Quickly, she switched hands, holding her training saber in her left hand, and the real deal in her more dominant, right hand; she did not trust the lightsaber to not simply disappear at some point.

Keeping the saber lit, she walked back down the hall. She managed to walk at least half way to the next chamber, before pausing.

There was somebody in the chamber, which was completely different from how the illusions usually appeared. From the distance, she stood at and with how the being was sitting with their back towards her, she could only make out blue clothing and a sheathed sword slung across their back.

Narrowing her eyes, she began to cautiously walk towards the being, eventually reaching the threshold of the chamber.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Me?" The decidedly male being spoke, pulling himself up from the ground before turning to face the pinkette. He was an odd human, to say the least, his features foreigner yet she could not help but feel like she recognised them. He had short messy black hair and unusual dark eyes. His clothes were strange, not of the Empire or even Halkeginia; a blue long-sleeved over shirt with the chest a bright white, his dark blue pants were made of an unknown material. Familiar too, was the sword on her back, a golden guard and pommel with a bandaged grip. "My name is Saito, Hiraga Saito."

"I don't know you." Louise said bluntly, "Are you real, or are you just an illusion?"

"I had as many questions when we first met. I am real, from a certain point of view, but at the same time, you are speaking to an illusion." He answered cryptically.

"Met me for the first time?" Louise repeated irritably, "What are you talking about?"

"Nearly a year ago, you performed in the Springtime Familiar Summoning."

Louise quickly schooled her surprise into a glared, her stance shifting as to allow her to strike at any time, "How do you know about that?" She asked venomously.

"Because you told me about it." He explained, "Well, not you exactly, more like the Louise that should have been, the alternate you who did not fail the summoning ritual. The Louise who summoned me."

All of Louise's thought processes seemed to crash and burn with the new revelation. "Wh..what?" the Acolyte replied dumbly.

"You were never meant to be summoned here." The Saito apparition said, "In fact, none of this should have happened. You _should_ have summoned me, but due to the will of those before, you were brought here."

"Your lying!" Louise shouted aggressively. His story was too fantastical, too wild to be true, "You're just an illusion trying to drive me insane!"

"While that is a possibility, it is not true." Saito replied, "The ones who created this tomb wanted to drive trespassers insane, but it is not their sorcery that speaks to you now. All and all, it doesn't matter if you believe me or not, I am merely here to say this.

"Louise, you are standing on the horizon of something big." He began "Brought into this world, much like me, and flung into this mess. The question I pose is what you will do. I made my choices when you summoned me, for better or for worse, but I still made them. You made your choice all those months ago when you joined the Academy and reinforced that choice in the chamber before. But what will you do now? What is your end goal, my master?

"When you summoned me, I was walking home from getting my laptop repaired, think of it as a mobile terminal. I was not someone who stood out in any stretch of the imagination, my grades in school were mediocre at best, and my closest friends were people online. But, there was one thing I did have, I was quite accepting; a go with the flow type of guy. My goal was to return home, to a more simpler life, but slowly, as time went by, my mind changed. So, tell me, what is your goal?"

"I…" Louise paused and began to truly think on the question, but the more she thought about the question, the less certain she became. She had no goal beyond becoming an apprentice to Lord Zash. "I don't know…"

"I expected as much. I wouldn't feel too bad, before I was summoned, I had no idea what I would do with my life. Though, I wouldn't keep that question unanswered for long."

"Am I going the right way?" She asked.

"Yes. I am the final challenge." Replied Saito, "Strike me down and this will all be over, or don't and fail."

"What if I fail?" asked the Pinkette.

"You don't want to know," Saito said morosely.

Mentally shrugging her shoulders, she carefully walked up to the illusion before her, stopping an arm's length away from the teen. As she did this, she carefully watched him in case it was a trap, but as she got closer, he stuck to the same casual pose.

Louise swung her lightsaber towards Saito, not expecting much resistance due to how Lightsabers worked, which is why she was surprised when her swing was stopped mid-way. Impossibly fast, the apparition had drawn his sword from its scabbard and blocked her strike with impressive speed.

"Did you really think it was going to be that easy?" He said, pressing against her saber. The pinkette glanced down to the sword in his hand, her eyes almost bulging when she recognised the weapon

"Derflinger!?" Louise gasped, recognising the blade in his hand before leaping a few meters back.

"The one and only!" A metallic voice, Louise recognised as the Sword's, spoke up.

Louise gaped for a few seconds, working her jaw to make a sound, "How? Who are you!?"

"As I said, I am Hiraga Saito, Gandalfr and the Familiar of Zero." Saito proclaimed pridefully showing off his left hand revealing the glowing runes t, and with an instant, he was charging towards her, his blade posted to impale her abdomen.

Thinking quickly, Louise tried to parry the blow but found that she could only exchange being impaled for having her side cut. Quickly, she sent a small blast of Force energy, slamming Saito back a few feet.

"Partner, I can't block the Force, so watch out!" the Sword warned, receiving an acknowledging nod from Saito.

However, Louise too had heard the advice from the Sword and dropped her training saber, unleashing a blast of Force Lightning towards the two. Just as she expected, he leapt into the air, dodging the lightning completely, before closing the distance again.

Lightsaber clashed with magical sword at high speeds. Louise knew that Saito had the advantage with the heavier sword battering down on her defences, but she had the Force. Occasionally, she would be able to strike him with the Force or graze him with her saber, but much like her, he did not react to pain.

Out of nowhere, a blue shoe came flying towards her gut at the same time she was parrying another blow. Without the time to react, she was slammed in her chest, kicking her back and emptying her lungs of air -the runes might have blocked pain, but it still affected her. Louise barely time to recover when she sensed his blade descend towards her neck.

She raised her saber to parry, saving her life, but the consequence of her actions disarmed her, letting pain wash over her once more. Another kick to the back of the legs had her withering on the floor.

"I am truly sorry, master," Saito said apologetically, raising Derflinger to cut off Louise's head.

Panic began to take hold of her again; not the same panic she had when she realised that she could not escape. It was a simpler kind of panic, one that everyone goes though at points in their lives. It was the fear of death. Louise did not want to die, not now, not when things had been looking up. She wanted to spend more time with Lyira, spend more time with the twins. She wanted to prove that she was not just a slave, that sh could be someone of note. In the second Saito began to swing is sword down, Louise shot her hands up and tried the first thing that came to mind.

The sounds of screaming, that of both human and sword broke into the air as electricity slammed them to the floor.

Louise let up her attack on them, doubling over in pain, but managed to quickly summon her lightsaber before Saito could recover. Standing at her full height, she quickly knocked Derflinger out of Saito's reach with the Force, sending far off to the other side of the room.

"Still… not as bad… as your beating." Saito breathed.

Louise did not pay much mind to his ramblings, only telling him to "Shut up."

"Oh… so you don-" his screams stopped him from continuing his sentence as Louise shocked him with lightening.

"I said shut up," Louise said menacingly ceasing her electrical torture. Before Saito could begin speaking again, she plunged her lightsaber into his chest, watching him vanish with a hint of pride.

Looking over to where she flung Derflinger, she found that it too had disappeared. Quickly, she scanned the room, searching for anything else before sighing in relief. Finding the entry way to the next room, Louise began her journey, to what she hoped was the end of this hell hole known as a tomb.

"Well done, young acolyte." Upon hearing the voice, Louise span around, getting ready to strike down whatever illusion had come to torment her, but froze upon seeing the spectre, "I'm afraid that won't work on me, I am already dead."

"Who are you?" Louise asked waveringly before her stood- No, floated a transparent blue being. From the details, she could make out on his face, he was a true Sith pureblood, she could barely see any human like features than the basics. His dress was also as unique as his species, the true purebloods having gone extinct long ago, long robes with an armoured mantel, an archaic headpiece with two long horns jutting from the top.

"I should be the one asking _you_ that, seeing as this is _my_ tomb." He replied in an amused tone.

Chills ran down her spine as she realised who she was speaking to as well as what, "Lord Kressh?"

"At least you know who's tomb you're trespassing in." the long dead Sith Lord said, "Now, who are you, Sith?"

"Louise." The pinkette answered immediate, bowing respectfully.

"Well, Louise, I supposed I should congratulate you. After all, you have been one of two people who have gotten this far into the tomb while sane!" He cheered in an over dramatic way. Louise assumed he was attention starved. "One was an agent of the Light, a Jedi perhaps, but like you, she was strange. She was like a black hole, slowly eating away at the Dark Side energies of the tomb. You, however, are different in another way. When the Jedi came, I could not appear before her. Truly, I could not show myself on the material plane at all, yet here I am, talking to you. Curious.

"But that is beside the point. I have been watching your progress through my halls. While I have not seen what you have, I could make an educated guess. And my guess leaves intriguing ripples upon your future."

"You were watching the whole time?" Louise questioned, glaring daggers at the ghost in front of her.

"Yes, of course, I have." He answered before seeing the look on her face, "Oh, don't give me that look, it is unbecoming of a Sith."

"I am not a Sith, not yet." The pinkette corrected.

"No, not yet." Lord Kressh agreed, "You have gone through a lot, three trials that have tested your mettle. And from what I have seen, and what I have heard, you completed them all with flying colours. You might not be a Sith yet, but you will be, you will be. Now, I would advise that you get out of here. Follow there," With a wave of his ghostly hand, the stone wall to the right of the chamber slid up revealing a dark corridor, "you will find yourself away out of the tomb. Oh, and before you go, take that datapad. The Jedi left it, probably as a warning. Speaking of, the illusions you've faced in this tomb have acted… strangely to your presence. I am not surprised that they affected reality more than they should have."

"What are you talking about?" Louise asked. Instead of responding, Ludo pointed towards her side, soon her eyes saw what he was pointing too; a deep cut on her side, courtesy of Saito. Looking closer, she could see several other nicks and cuts from the battle previous, as well as injuries sustained from struggling against her sister's restraints. _I hadn't noticed that_

A deep pit formed in her stomach as she thought of the implications and what else might have carried over from the tombs. She beat down the desire to check her left arm.

"Odd, is it not?" He said, unknowing of the turmoil running through the Pinkette's head, "But I digress, leave my tomb. I must prepare for the influx of _visitors_ I will be having."

Making a quick stop to pick up the datapad, which, much to her caringe, was by what she assumed was Ludo's sargophigi, Louise entered the hall. The journy was quick, partially because Louise wanted to leave the tomb as quickly as possible, and soon, after exiting another secret door Ludo had apparently opened, she was at the entrence. After a short trek back through the tunnels, she was finally able to see natural sunlight. Her grip tightened on the datapad for a moment before she headed over to Lord Kahn's group.

"Ah! You're-" The Sith Lord exclaimed upon noticing her returned, though whatever he was about to say stopped abruptly when Kahn got a good look at the Acolyte, "What in the Force happened to you!?"

Instead of answering, Louise handed him the datapad, "Found this datapad in Kressh's tomb."

"Well, it's not an artefact," the Sith said, taking the piece of technology in hand, "but it is a find nonetheless. I will inform Harkun of your trial… is it safe?" the pinkette stayed silent, letting her matted hair and bloody hands answer the question, "I am going to assume that is a no..."

"You were right not to send the… them in there." Louise said, gesturing the gathering of slaves, "They would have gone insane. Remove the blast door."

"Good to know." Lord Kahn replied, "Ah, you should go and take a dip in the Kolto… you don't look very good."

Once again, Louise did not answer the question, instead beginning the walk back to her quarters.

When Louise eventually arrived at her room, she immediately set about closing and locking the door before mentally preparing herself for the pain to come flooding back. Once sufficiently prepared, she let go of the Lightsaber, dropping it onto her bed just as she dropped to the floor in withering pain.

The memories of what happened in the tomb kept repeating in her mind like some sort of hurricane of horror; Cattleya's broken body, Éléonore's rolling head, the twins lacerated bodies. Again, and again, they played out, as if the tombs maddening effect was still taking hold of her. Then there was Harkun and Ffon standing over her body, toying with her as they stimulated her nerves with electricity, and finally, branding her with the iron. The smell of burning flesh was one she was accustomed to, but knowing that it was her own made her want to vomit.

She had to know, she had to know if it was all an illusion, or if it were something more. Louise grabbed her over shirt, ripping it off before doing away with her undershirt, but still, she did not look. She was scared of what might or might not be there. Anger and hatred, pain and fear, four things that practically seeped from her very being.

Louise took the chance and glanced at her upper arm, finding that it was, in fact, branded.

She continued to look at the brand on her skin, her mind blank. Then a chuckle escaped her lips. Not a nice one, filled with mirth. It was a mad cackle, one filled with the coldest of ice, one that would make even the bravest of men fearful. She laughed at the sheer audacity of what she was seeing.

No, it was not because of what she feared; that she would forever be branded as a slave. No, instead, a different word was burned into her skin.

 _'_ _ZERO'_

The single most hated word she knew. The word that encompassed every horrible thing that happened to her; Ever since Zerbst had given her that name, it had plagued her life, both at school and at home, and now it was brought over to the Empire. Something she tried so hard to escape had now been permanently burned onto her very being. 'The Familiar of Zero' was what the illusionary boy had said with pride…

Her anger burned brighter and brighter, lashing out, wanting to break free. Several objects had already begun to be affected by the amount of utter darkness that seeped from the pinkette, deforming as they levitated around the room.

The need to let it out, to express the pain and rage she felt was overwhelming to the point where she did not care anymore. It needed an outlet and she was ready to give it one. And with that, she unleashed a Force sundering screech of Dark Side energy that could be felt all over Korriban before the stress forced her into an unconscious state.


	11. (6-II) Illusions of Pain, part II

**Chapter 10 -Act I- Illusions of Pain, Part II**

* * *

Eyes fluttered open, squinting in the glaring artificial light. A pasty grey ceiling greeted her, view. Slowly, she pulled herself up and took in the whole room.

It was uncomfortable close to the design of the slave barrack she had lived in, but at the same time, it had obvious differences. For one, only single beds lined the walls, each with their own little holocomputer next to the head. Another difference was, at the end of the room, where four tanks filled with a turquoise liquid and instead of one door for the exit, there were four leading to other rooms.

Louise recognised this place as the Academy Infirmary. While she had visited this place quite a few times, usually to fix up any wounds from the various creatures around the tombs, it was never anything serious.

For a few moments, Louise just sat there, collecting her thoughts, processing what was going on and why she was here. Then she realised, vividly, the events that lead up to her current predicament. Seeing the-

Immediately Louise froze, the very image of what she had seen burning into her mind, just as it had been burned on to her. Quickly, the pinkette put up her walls, trying to make her face as neutral as possible. It would not do to show weakness in such a public place such as the infirmary. At the same time, the young acolyte tried desperately to overcome the self-destructive urge to once again see the brand under the hospital gown she now wore.

 _Breathe in, and out_. She mentally chanted, trying to use the Jedi's calming technique. If she had ever been more grateful for sir Dorjis' help, it had been now.

Luckily, by the time someone had entered the room, she had sufficiently calmed herself. It was a man, looking as if he was in his late thirties with short hair that looked to already be greying. Louise recognised him as Dr Kilik, the head medical officer for acolytes, soldiers and lower apprentices alike. He was dressed in a crisp white medical uniform that seemed immaculately clean, just as he had always been to Louise.

It did not take him long to realise that one of his patients was awake. "Ah, Acolyte Louise, you're awake. That is good to hear." He said, the false pleasantness painfully obvious to her ears, "How are you feeling?"

Truth be told, she was feeling horrible, but that was only how she was feeling emotionally and mentally. Physically, she felt okay, average, maybe a bit better than that. "I feel fine," Louise replied, knowing that the doctor only cared about her physical well-being, not that she truly cared. "How long have I been here?"

"Over a day and a half," he answered, briefly grabbing the datapad at his hip and reading through it, "not that your wounds were bad or anything, your body was completely exhausted. Had we gotten you up earlier, you would have only collapsed. As for your injuries, majority have healed without issue, though..." In that moment, she knew exactly what he meant. He looked like he wanted to press for answers, but instead, he chose to be quiet.

Louise closed her eyes and sat in the silence Dr Kilik had given her. A small part of her wished that he had been quiet, that a small part of her could still hope that what she had seen was not real. Thoughts whirled through her mind as she tried to cope with the information.

"Acolyte," He said after a few minutes. The pinkette opened her eyes, looking towards the doctor, "What do you remember before you fell unconscious."

"I remember walking back to my room, but other than that," Louise replied.

"Well, you managed to cause a massive disturbance across Korriban." he said uneasily.

"What do you mean?" She questioned hiding her worry behind confusion.

"You screamed. To be honest, a scream would not be the right word." the doctor chuckled anxiously, "Before I knew the origin, I had thought it was either the planet somehow screaming in agony or some ancient Sith Spawn awakening."

Louise nodded absently as she digested the new information. She remembered screaming, but what the doctor was talking about brought worry to her mind. _Great, just what I needed, more worry_. The pinkette grumbled internally.

Kilik coughed, bringing her attention back to himself, "This brings me to my next point… There's a few people who wish to see you."

"And they might be?" She asked. _Of course this would garner attention_. Louise thought bitterly.

"Lord Kahn, Lord Zash and Overseer Harkun." Louise visibly shuddered at the mention of her Overseer's name. Luckily, the doctor was distracted, "In fact, I should inform them. One moment" With deft hands, the medical officer replaced his datapad with a small round disk Louise recognised as a Holocommunicator. After fiddling with it for a moment, a holographic image of a woman's profile sprung to life above the disk.

"Ah, hello Dr Kilik." The woman greeted, "I was wondering when you would call. Is your patient awake?"

"Yes, Lord Zash, she's awake," answered Kilik with a nod. Louise, herself, found herself startled to hear the name of her -hopefully- soon to be master.

"Wonderful news," Lord Zash, if the doctor was to be believed, praised, "I'll call Lord Kahn, and the Overseer as well. Send her up here once she's ready, we have much to discuss."

"Yes, my Lord." Dr Kilik said before deactivating the holo-communicator and turning to Louise, "As you heard, Lord Zash wishes you to head up to her office on the second floor, though, you might want to get changed into something more decent. Luckily, an acolyte arrived and dropped off a set of clothes for you." He said, bending down behind the foot of her medical bed, before popping back up with a pile carefully folded robes. From the looks of it, they were her old robes, the replacement from Lyira.

"Thank you," Louise said meekly.

"You can get dressed in there," He gestured to one of the four doors near the Kolto tanks, "and I will organise someone to take you to Lord Zash."

Louise nodded silently, crawling out of bed and heading towards one of the adjoining rooms with the clothes to get changed. The hospital gown slid off neatly, revealing her naked skin. She stood there for a moment's, questioning whether she should look upon the brand if only to assure herself of its existence. But still, she hesitated. The pinkette knew that if she saw the runes again, she would not react as badly as she did before, however her nervousness was palpable.

Slowly, she lifted her right hand and covered where she knew the burns to be. The former slave could feel where the skin became leathery and dry. She began to blindly trace the lines from top to bottom. Slowly, Louise twisted her head and arm so she could get a clear view of it, biting down a sob once she did.

The word 'ZERO' written in clean and neat lines of darkened flesh matching that of the Aurebesh script. So similar, yet different from the runes on her hand.

A knocking at the door interrupted the petite girl procuring an 'eep' from her. "acolyte?" Came the voice of Dr Kilik, "Are you alright?"

"Ye-" Louise croaked pathetically before clearing her throat, "…Yes, Just one moment." She answered in a clearer voice.

Quickly, Louise grabbed the articles of clothing she had been given and began to dress. Once done, she could not help but feel a large amount of resentment for her clothing; the tightness around her chest and especially the sleeveless nature of the top. Anxiety over leaving the room gripped her. Even if Kilik had seen the burns, she did not want him stareing, as he would undoubtedly do, not to mention the other beings she would run into on the way to Lord Zash.

With a resigned sigh, she picked up the gown, making sure it would cover the mark.

"I contacted one of the Guards to come and escort you to Lord Zash," Kilik said once she had exited the room.

"Thank you," Louise replied before hesitating. She did not want to draw attention to the burns, but at the same time, if she did not ask, all would be able to see, "Do you have something I could cover my… burns with?"

Dr Kilik glanced at the general area of the scar before answering. "Eh- I don't have any long sleeve clothes you could don, but I guess I could bandage it for you."

By the time Louise's guide arrived, she had a fresh bandage wrapped snuggly around her arm. While not the most conspicuous choice, it meant that nobody could see the marks.

...

Lord Zash's office was quite similar to Lord Kahn's, well, at least what she could see when she was not ogling the Sith Lord -not that she would ever say that aloud. The room was shaped much like an inverted 'L' with a large desk set facing the entry, up in the corner of the office.

Sitting inside of the room was Lord Zash who turned to the pinkette the moment she entered, from the head of the desk. Louise had also noticed two others from her position at the entrance, one was Kahn, sitting down in one of three chairs set before Zash, the other was…

Louise tried her best to ignore the other member in the room. The memories were too fresh in her mind, and she did not want to break down in front of two Sith Lords; one being her perspective master. Though, this did nothing to stop a grimace to form on her face.

"Ah, acolyte, welcome." Lord Zash said pleasantly, looking ever so much like Louise had seen in the archives; light tanned skin, and brown eyes and short blond hair styled in a bob cut. All in all, she looked quite nice dressed in an extravagant robe of red and grey. "It is so nice of you to join us."

Lord Kahn looked like he was going to speak, however, the third member of the room cut in, "Yes, how nice of you to join us." Sneered Harkun. Had the situation been different, Louise would have smirked at the reproachful looks Kahn and Zash had given him. Though due to her current thoughts on him, she instead turned to glare at him with as much ferocity she could muster, which was apparently a lot as Harkun visibly flinched in surprise but otherwise held his sneer.

A small cough ended the glaring contest and Louise resumed actively ignoring the Overseer. "Yes, well, there's a reason we called you up here." Lord Kahn said.

"It's about the little event that happened two days ago." Zash continued, "The higher ups wish to know about what happened."

Louise nodded, having known that previously, "What do you wish to know."

"In short, everything." Kahn explained, "Starting from the beginning, and up until you fell unconscious. Come, take a seat."

Thanking Zash and Kahn, Louise took the middle most seat, pulling it back a bit to face only Kahn and Zash.

"You may begin when ready…" Zash prompted.

Louise grimaced, she really, really did not want to go through that again. Merely being in the same room as the man who- no the illusion which looks exactly like the man in the room was incredibly uncomfortable. Yet, she did as she was told and began to recount her tale of the day previous.

She told them about meeting Kahn, omitting the fact she was practically ogling him the entire time, she went on, on how she entered the tomb, how she was jumped -though not who attacked her. It was then that Harkun opened his mouth.

"Are you telling us you got injured by mere illusions," Harkun asked, looking thoroughly unimpressed drawing the attention of the other three in the room.

A furious growl escaped Louise's lips, as she looked upon the Overseers amused face. "Harkun," Louise hissed venomously, "unless you wish for me to burn out your tongue, I would shut up." To enunciate her point, she snapped her fingers, sparking lightning between them and created a small flame in her hand.

Harkun's mouth gasped in outrage before he shot up from his chair, growling menacingly as he brandished his lightsaber, "How dare you!"

The pinkette jumped up from her seat as well, glaring back at the Overseer with equal parts rage and hate, uncaring of the notorious weapon. All the emotions from the tomb came flooding back, the urge to kill Harkun, the want to hear him scream for mercy as his blood covered her hands. She did not care if he was her overseer, a Darth or even the Emperor, she just wanted him dead.

But before the two could come to blows, the sound of three other lightsabers igniting drew their attention away. Zash, standing at the head of her desk looking quite miffed with her crimson saber glowing, and Kahn with his double ended purple saber held behind his back in a fancy fashion.

"Enough, you two." Zash demanded, "We are gathered here to discover what went down in the tomb, and I will not have blood stain my floors! Both of you, sit down."

"Unacceptable!" Harkun shouted furiously, "She threatened-"

"That is enough!" Lord Zash snarled, "Louise will get off on a warning, and so will you."

Louise, not wanting to alienate the blonde, dismissed the small flame and sat down quietly. Harkun, on the other hand, looked between the three people in the room with his trademarked sneer before following the pinkette's lead.

"Good. Hopefully, we will be able to get through this without you two fighting." Kahn scolded, switching his saber off and clipping it to his belt just as Zash did the same. "Now, continue."

The acolyte squirmed in her seat for a moment, feeling slightly ashamed at blowing up in front of Zash and Kahn, but continued nonetheless, "After beating the illusion, I tried to escape, when I found that the door was locked, I eventually decided to continue through the tomb. I faced another illusion before finding a lightsaber."

"Yes, the lightsaber." The blonde Sith Lord said knowingly, "When you were recovered, I was given the lightsaber for safe keeping. Though, nobody is going to get any use from it, as it broke… along with the rest of the room."

"Oh," Louise said evenly. She did not particularly care that the lightsaber was broken, but one part of that explanation caught her ear, "The rest of the room?"

"Yes, you managed to tear the room apart." Came Kahn's amused remark, "Don't worry, it was easy enough to repair."

"Okay… Well, I continued on, fought another illusion, then met the ghost of Lord Kressh."

"You met Ludo Kressh?" The handsome Sith asked, his interest piqued. It also seemed that Zash also found interest in her meeting with the long-dead Sith Lord.

"Yes."

"What was he like," Kahn asked eagerly, "what did he say?"

"Lord Kressh was courteous." The pinkette described, "He explained what happened in the tomb, and gave me the datapad. After that, he told me to leave. I gave you the datapad, then left back to my room before finding the… thing, on my arm. I blacked out after that."

"Was that all?" Zash questioned, looking not at all content with the information provided.

"…Yes." Louise replied, her hand automatically covering the bandages.

"Alright then." Zash said eventually, "You've told us all the relevant information." She turned to the other two in the room, "Could you two leave, I wish to talk to the acolyte alone."

"Mhm, I will go inform the higher ups of what we've heard," Kahn said, standing up from his chair and exiting the office. Harkun followed soon after, looking none too happy.

"Now, I won't hold you up for long," Zash said, a smile adorning her lips, "I just wished to congratulate you on acquiring that magnificent holocron from Ragnos' tomb."

The pinkette blushed minutely at the praise, "Thank you, my lord."

"Yes, it is quite hard to imagine that, after a thousand years, the most unlikely person comes along and succeeds where others had failed. How did you do it?" She asked inquisitively.

For a moment, Louise sat there, she had no idea how to explain it in a graceful way. "First, I... ah, meditated, then I bled on it, burned it. Finally, I shot it with lightning, that opened it up."

"Such a simple solution. Why did none of us think of that?" The blonde mused, "We must have thought too deeply on it, believed too strongly that it could not be done, maybe it was all of those together that opened it… or perhaps we were simply not meant to open it." Zash seemed interested with the three hypothesises she conjured, thinking about them for a moment before turning back to the pinkette "Aside from that, I have something to give you." Deftly, she reached into her desk and pulled out a cylindrical object.

Louise recognised it immediately, "The lightsaber?" she asked confused, taking hold of the familiar weapon with trepidation.

"Yes, I thought it prudent to give it back." Zash explained, "After all, you did go through that mess in the tomb."

"I thought you said it was broken?" The pinkette questioned, looking over the saber. Now that she did not have illusions and death to worry about, she could get a good look and feel for the weapon. It was quite bulky, too big for her dainty hands and the design felt off. She did not really need the runes to tell her that it was built for a man a lot bigger with her.

"It was… but I managed to repair. It's yours if you want it." Said Zash.

"Thank you, my lord." Louise did not want it, its presence marred by horrible memories, yet there was something about it that drew her to it; not the weapon itself, but something else entirely. _I'll keep it… for now._ She thought.

"You're welcome, acolyte. Now, I shouldn't have to tell you, but don't tell Harkun, he is enough of a hassle as it is."

Louise nodded in reply, she knew how much of a hassle the Overseer was; if he found out she had a lightsaber, he would have a fit. The pinkette turned the lightsaber over in her hands once more before clipping it to her belt, "May the Force serve you well, my lord." She said quietly, though Lord Zash could still hear her, and bid her a good day.

Once she exited the office, she let out a deep sight. She really did not want to go through that again. The pinkette began to rub the brand under the bandages. At the moment, Louise had no idea what to do, she should probably go find Lyira… but… she had been asleep for nearly two entire days.

Slowly, she began to make her way down to the cafeteria, finding that it was sparsely filled. She took a small meal, finding that she really did not have an appetite. After about ten minutes of manoeuvring her food around the plate with scares moments to actually eat her food, she finished her meal.

Now that her stomach was full, she thought it prudent to have a shower, however, that came with its own problems. Unlike when she was a slave, the showers were split by gender with the added privacy of small cubicles for each person. This added privacy did nothing to quell the anxiety she felt, as the only thing that stopped her from being seen in the nude, and in turn, her brand, was a thin plastic curtain. Louise was already unhappy that Dr Kilik, Kahn, Zash and most importantly Harkun, had seen it.

After a moment of deliberation, Louise decided to go to the showers; if it was crowded, she could simply slink away. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly depending on the time, the showers were quite empty, so she was able to quickly discard her clothing in one of the lockers -hiding the lightsaber under the bulk of it- grab a towel, and hop into the showers.

While a slave, she did enjoy the lukewarm showers as the water pressure would act like a light massage on her back but compared to the heated showers of the Academy… So, Louise stood there, trying her best to let her worries wash away with the water, not that they did. First, she started working on the monstrous task of keeping her hair clean. Once done, she administered some liquid soap onto her hands, she began the task of cleaning her body. She was almost done when she reached her arms, hesitating before the brand.

Slowly and delicately, Louise began to clean around the brand, rubbing the soap into her arm. Her speed quickened, and she found herself rubbing the brand more and more, a scant thought of simply washing the scar away. Flesh became red and the burn inflamed, and yet still she persisted; rubbing her arm over and over again until she thought she would have worn through her arm with sheer force. Tears intermingled with the shower droplets and her breath quickened, but try as she might, the wound stood firm.

The sound of the washroom door sliding open was barely audible over the running water and the hollow sobs. Someone else had entered the showers. Taking a muted, but deep breath, Louise pulled herself together and finished up, turning off the water and drying herself off.

...

Once the bandage was reapplied to her arm, she slowly made her way back to her room. The door slid open with a mechanical hiss and Louise took a step into her room, only to get blindsided by a red and black blur that grabbed her in a bone crushing embrace. Startled, she went to grab the lightsaber at her hip, but stopped once she realised who was hugging her.

"Lyira?" the pinkette questioned.

"Louise, are you okay?" the Pureblood asked worried, pulling herself back to arms reach. "When I heard your scream, I rushed over to our room as fast as I could, but…"

Louise let out a sigh, before saying, "I'm okay."

"You sure? Do you want to talk about… you know?" The Pureblood asked, glancing sparsely towards the white bandage.

"No, I don't." She replied tiredly. She really did not want to repeat what had happened in the tomb.

"Come, sit." Lyira said, pulling the pink-haired acolyte to the bed, "Something is definitely wrong. I don't know if it is the brand, or if it is something else entirely." The pureblood fretted, "I don't like seeing you like this. Please, tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing." Louise shrugged, "Just some problems in the tomb."

"Did you get that in the tomb?" Lyira asked carefully.

"I don't want to talk about it. Not yet, anyway." Said the pinkette morosely.

Two arms wrapped around the petite girl's small frame, "Okay then… Do you want to talk about something else?"

Louise paused. Really, she did not have much to talk about, but the sound of Lyira's voice was a comforting one. "I blew up at Harkun." She said eventually.

"Your overseer?" Lyira asked in surprise. The pinkette bobbed her head in replied, "...what do you mean, 'blew up?'"

"I threatened to burn off his tongue." The petite teenager answered casually, "In front of two Sith Lords… one of which was Lord Zash."

Lyira gaped at Louise for a second, trying to process how her roommate was still among the living for doing such a thing, "You must be insane."

In response, the pinkette pouted, "I'm not insane… just differently rational." She replied petulantly, before grimacing "You can blame the Lord Kressh."

"Blaming long dead Sith Lords isn't helping your case." The Pureblood quipped, "What happened afterwards?"

"Well, I'm not dead, if you were wondering." The pinkette retorted dryly, "I got off on a warning… and was given a lightsaber."

"So you do," Lyira said, looking down at the legendary weapon clipped to her best friend's belt. They sat in silence for a moment more, Louise comfortable in her roommates embrace, and said roommate thunderstruck by the fact Louise was given a lightsaber, "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"Yes." The pinkette replied, snuggling closer to the red-skinned woman.

"Okay, I won't push… today." Lyira said, returning the favour.

Since that day, Louise had tried to continue with her life in the Academy. But dreams of burning flesh and dead siblings continued to haunt her. Though, she was never alone. Lyira would often wake during the worst nights, clambering down from her bed to whisper words of comfort and encouragement. The Twins, Wyrd and Balek, whilst comforting during the first month, had vanished late into the second month. Lyira assumed they had died, Louise was… conflicted.

Life became bland within the Academy as her previous interests seemed dull, and she could not find the same drive that made her want to succeed. Her roommate soon noticed and tried to get her back on track, occasionally barring the dormitory door closed and forcing the pinkette to either spar or study. Louise would rather walk around the Valley of the Dark Lords, letting her mind drift to things she came across. She humoured the pureblood, sparred a bit, meditate. All in all, she enjoyed having Lyira with her, it made her happy.

Ffon had become more antagonistic despite the few times they met. Louise assumed Harkun told him. However, she never raised to his barbs, only choosing to glare hatefully towards him. That is, until he had called her a Zero.

"Hello, _Lou_." He greeted arrogantly. Louise was currently seated in the cafeteria during the late hours of lunch, so there were not that many patrons hanging around.

The pinkette visibly bristled at the sound Lyira's nickname for her rolling of his tongue. "What," Louise replied monotonously.

"Oh, come now, _Zero_ , I thought we were-" Ffon really did not get to finish his sentence as he was unceremoniously thrown across the room, slamming into the durasteel wall with an unhealthy thud. Before he could react, he had an impossibly strong hand around his throat and a blaster shoved into his mouth. Looking up to his attacker, he found the furious face of Louise glaring down at his with eyes filled with Dark Side malice.

"If you ever call me that again, _je te tuerai_." Threatened Louise softly. Despite not knowing what the pinkette had said, the threat was understood. The next second, Louise had pulled herself off of him and left the cafeteria.

Surprisingly, the event was never brought up afterwards. A week later, the deadline for her trial, came to an end.

When Louise woke on that day, she was reluctant. She did not want to see Harkun any more than was necessary. So, when she finally pried herself out of bed, she did her best to take that extra minute longer to do her daily routine.

But soon, reason took hold and once she got dressed in her long-sleeved acolyte uniform, she made her way down to the Overseer's office. Upon entering, she noticed only Ffon and Harkun in the room, the twins were conspicuously absent. _At least that's confirmation enough…_

"What kept you, _slave_." Harkun spat upon her entrance. If the glare he gave her was any indication, he was still angry about the threat. "I was just about to send Ffon off." He gestured to the glowering acolyte off in the corner. It seemed Ffon was also still sore about the threat she gave him.

"It is none of your concern, _Harkun_." The pinkette sneered back. "You know I completed my trial. Just give me my next one and be done with it."

Harkun snerred at the disrespect, but otherwise did not comment, "Lord Zash wishes her apprentice to be a competent fighter." He said, "Obviously, she's a bit worried that your little tryst in Kressh's tomb. You have two months to satisfy the Korriban Battlemaster. You'll find the facility on the second floor of the Academy. You are not to speak to anyone up there, except the Battlemaster."

"Fine," Louise replied.

"Now get going to the second-floor training grounds. You don't want to keep him waiting."

Obeying the order, Louise stormed out of the office and towards the training room. In the months, previous, she had sometimes passed by when wandering the Academy, though all those times, she would always hear the sound of training, but as she drew near, she heard no such thing. Passing through the entryway, Louise found the room seemingly devoid of life.

Seemingly, because if it weren't for the Force's warning or her hearing a lightsaber igniting, she would have had her head removed from her shoulders. Instead, she lunged forward into a roll and dodged the attack. Once landed, she quickly pulled herself up to faced her attacker, her hand resting on a pouch on her belt containing her lightsaber.


	12. (7) Goodbyes

**Chapter 11 -Act I- Goodbyes**

* * *

Once landed, she quickly pulled herself up to faced her attacker, her hand resting where her lightsaber was hidden. Quickly, Louise began to scan his face, trying to recognise her attacker; a white human with short red hair -oddly reminiscent of her Jedi acquaintance-, blue eyes and a strange cross-shaped scar that started under his right eye and spread across his face. He was dressed in the usual acolyte uniform, which briefly confused the pinkette, once she recognised the face, her confusion only grew.

"… Vemrin?" Louise questioned, her eyes briefly shifting to the crimson lightsaber held carelessly by his side, "Why did you attack me?"

"I'm glad my reputation precedes me," the acolyte replied, "And to answer your question, your Overseer sent me to-"

"Harkun!" Louise spat, "… why would he choose you?"

"Apparently, the other two he chose were too scared to fight you. But their weakness has given me a chance. So, I should really be thanking you for this chance. Well, enough talk."

With that, he charged forwards with a flurry, trying to strike Louise down quickly and efficiently. However, instead of striking cloth and flesh like he had hoped, he hit the glowing amber blade of another lightsaber.

"Where did you get that!?"

"Where did you get yours?" Louise re-joined, breaking the saber lock and kicking him in the gut with as much strength the runes allowed, sending him skidding back a few meters back.

"Quite a good kick, maybe Harkun was wrong when he said you were weak."

"Harkun's wrong about a lot of things." She replied tersely, "How are you going to explain murdering another Acolyte _inside the Academy_ , Vemrin? Is Harkun going to bail you out?"

"Already considered that. Harkun had booked out the entire room for the next hour or so." He replied haughtily.

Again, lightsabers hacked at each other, flashing with each hit. Louise knew that she had already won the duel before it had begun; while his footwork was of a high standard, his skill with a lightsaber was sub par at best, though it was understandable considering he had trained more with the weighty warblades than lightsabers. Another point was that it seemed he had been banking on her being armed with only a training blade, thinking he did not need skill with a lightsaber to kill a practically unarmed foe. Unluckily for him, she had a lightsaber and as a bonus, the Gandalfr runes, otherwise known as cheating.

Soon enough, Louise broke through his defences, quickly disarming him… literally. His screams resonated in the enclosed chamber until the pinkette followed up her attack with a vicious strike to the neck, separating head from the body.

Vemrin fell to the ground limp, his head rolling a few feet away before coming to a stop. Quickly, Louise slipped her lightsaber back into her pouch, not taking her anger-filled eyes off the motionless head. She did not want to kill him, he, like her, was once a slave. _But he gave me no other choice._

Suddenly, Louise felt… something change in the room. Said something quickly made itself known when it, or rather he, spoke "It's not going to burst into flames if you do that." Startled by the voice, the pinkette summoned Vemrin's lightsaber to hand, igniting the crimson blade and pointing it at the interloper; a middle-aged Sith Pureblood dressed in a suit of grey infantry armour, however, the distinguishing thing about him was both the robes he wore above and the twin archaic lightsabers by his side.

She was pointing a lightsaber at a Sith Lord. She was pointing a lightsaber at a Sith Lord as she stood near a dead acolyte which she had just killed. "I… um… Hello." She said intelligently, shutting off the saber. _I am so screwed, I am so, so, so very scre-_

"Peace." The Sith Lord said with a hint of mirth, "I mean you no harm. Just admiring your handiwork. You needn't worry about getting in trouble, I watched the entire thing; that Acolyte was tasked with assassinating you, and you defended yourself. I see no problems with what you did."

"Thank you, my lord," Louise replied, letting out a small sigh of relief, "Uh… If you don't mind me asking, who are you? Where did you come from?"

"I am Lord Umbris," he introduced, "the battlemaster and instructor of the Sith Academy. As for where I came from? I was always here, inside the room. There are many techniques to hide one's signature in the Force as well as technology that can cloak those who wish to hide. And before you asked, no I would not have helped you in your fight. It was yours alone, and if you failed then our business would have been concluded, if you succeeded, it will better help me understand you as a fighter. Though, I assume your mind is elsewhere at the moment, perhaps thinking about a certain Overseer?"

"He tried to assassinate me," Louise said, her expression darkening.

The Battlemaster look thoughtful for a moment before replying, "You must have provoked his anger if he went to such an extreme."

The Pinkette scoffed "He's been trying to get me killed since day one."

"That is troubling." Umbris said frowning, "If you wish to see him, you may go."

Louise nodded, smiling thankfully before it twisted into a cruel smile as she summoned the decapitated head to her hands. Soon, she was out of the room, marching towards Harkun's office, receiving several strange looks along the way. Upon entering the office, she made herself known by stomping her foot down on the metal floor, startling the Overseer from his work. However, before he could even get a word in, the pinkette had thrown Vemrin's severed head onto the table.

Harkun eyes shifted from the head to the petite acolyte in front of him, a look of outrage on his face, "How dare you!? You kil-"

"Overseer Harkun," Lord Umbris called from the entryway, behind Louise. The pinkette hid a shudder. _I didn't even know he was following me._ "how disappointing it is to see you."

"Lord Umbris?" The Overseer asked in surprise.

The Instructor ignored his comment, choosing instead to continue speaking, "Though, I guess I should thank your stupidity. If you hadn't tried to have this acolyte here killed, I wouldn't be able to see her in a real fight to see how she fares. But the point still stands, Harkun. You, an Overseer, tried to have an acolyte assassinated, something that is _expressly_ against the rules."

"It is none of yo-"

" _Expressly_. _Against_. _The_. _Rules_!" The Sith hissed, pinning Harkun to his chair with just a look, "Assassinating acolytes based on your preference will destroy the Order, particularly if your personal preference comes before merit. The only reason I am not reporting you is because your foolish move was beneficial to me. I should also note, that she has passed her trial with flying colours," Louise felt her pride swell at the compliment, something Umbris must have noticed as he continued, "but that doesn't mean that you'll get off that easy. Come, we still have training, Acolyte."

Together they left Harkun to seethe in his office as they returned to the training room. Entering, Louise found that Vemrin's corpse was not where it was before, nor in the room at all. She was about to question the suspiciously missing body, when Umbris beat her to the punch, "On our way to Harkun's office, I asked someone to take care of the body. Now, before we begin, may I ask you where you got your lightsaber from?"

Louise paused at the sudden question she had not been expecting. _Should I tell him?_ Deciding to throw caution to the wind, she answered his question truthfully, "It was a gift from Lord Zash."

The Sith Lord gazed intently at her, and suddenly the pinkette felt like she was bacteria under a microscope, "When I saw you fight with it, it felt like you were resisting it. Fighting two battles at once is extremely foolish." He chided.

"I'm sorry, my lord. It's just that it feels… off in my hands." Louise explained.

"Why is that?" Umbris asked, "Anyone can see plain as day that you and the lightsaber are bonded."

"Bonded, my lord?"

Lord Umbris gave the pinkette an unimpressed look, "You do study, don't you?"

"Yes, I do, but I don't understand how the lightsaber could have bonded to me."

"Pass it here." Louise obeyed the order, removing the saber from its pouch and passing it to the Sith Lord, "Now, I don't mean to be an expert on lightsabers and their crystals, but I know enough." As he said this, the used the Force to deconstruct the saber, revealing the intricate technology and an amber crystal in the centre, "The lightsaber was built for someone else, someone much bigger than you, someone with a different fighting style and personality. The crystal, however… I don't know. On Dromund Kaas, there is a Sith by the name of Darth Eda. If you manage to complete your trial, I would go see her."

"Thank you, my lord."

"Don't thank me yet." He replied, "Now, on to more important business. As I watched your scuffle with the other Acolyte, I noticed you seemed to favour Ataru, is this correct?"

"Yes, my lord."

"And where did you learn it?" the Sith asked.

"Besides a few sparring matches with my roommate and watching other Sith Lords spar, I am self-trained," Louise informed.

He seemed to consider her for a moment, "And how long ago did you start your training?"

"I started when I arrived here early this year."

"Interesting… self-trained, and only for a year." He said more to himself that to Louise, "I would have thought you had been trained since birth had it not been for your previous occupation as a slave. You seem to favour Ataru, do you not?"

"I thought it would be the best, considering," Louise answered quietly.

"Yes, I can tell how you would have thought that, but perhaps try to shake it up a bit." Explained Umbris, "Staying with one style is always dangerous as it makes it easier to predict your attacks and defences. As a main, however, I would recommend Niman… with Ataru as a supplement. However, to learn Niman, you would need to master from one to five and learn the basic principles of it. Another option could be Juyo, a very aggressive style, though its weaknesses come from a lack of defence, it would also require a mastery of all forms before it to truly utilise its potential."

"I will look into it, my lord." She replied, thinking hard about what he had said. Really, she only knew the forms, she had no skill nor any expertise in the subject. She decided to ask Lyira about it later.

"Yes… for the moment then, I wish to go through all of the lightsaber forms, just to get a feel of what level you are on. After that, we will test your skill with hand to hand combat. Now, get into the Shii-cho stance…"

...

It was a few hours after training that she was eventually dismissed, something she was immensely grateful for. Training with the Instructor was hard, unlike sparing with Lyira, he was not giving her any leeway. He was pleased with her skill in the lightsaber forms, but he could tell she was struggling with the forms that needed mental discipline, struggling badly. At one point, he even asked if she had learned them by watching a holovid and just copying the moves down, which Louise adamantly denied.

Soon, however, they moved on to her martial training. The Pinkette quickly discovered that, while she was at least competent with her fists, she had a tremendously long way to go, not even her lessons with Lyira helped. Her roommate was much more skilled than herself, but the instructor was on a completely different plane of existence with his finesse and skill. After being beaten down to the ground for the fortieth time, Lord Umbris told her she was 'getting better' but ultimately sent her on her way, saying she would not be able to learn much if she was battered, bruised and tired.

She had just exited the cafeteria having gorged herself on food -Louise had more than once noted how her meal portions were growing considerably, though was none too fussed about it. After all, she was not putting on weight- and now was limping off to her room. Her body ached, and she wanted to sleep, but more importantly, she wanted to inform Lyira of her rival's death… oh, and threatening Harkun… again. _She would love to hear about that._ Louise thought sarcastically.

Upon entering the room, she was greeted by the sight of her partially dressed roommate collapsed on her bed. If the smell of perspiration was anything to go by, it was probably due to exhaustion and overexertion. Funnily enough, the Pureblood did not stink like some of the people did when they got all sweaty, either that, or Louise had gotten used to the smell.

After removing her boots, socks, weapons and other such accessories, the small acolyte walked over to the downed acolyte, nudging her roommate awake, but no matter what she tried, the Sith would not budge, only groan in annoyance, "Lou? Wha'd you wan?" she slurred tiredly.

"Well, at first, I wanted you off my bed, but now…" She answered, "I want to know what in the name of the Emperor happened to you."

The raven-haired girl moaned tiredly before replying, "… Baras' fault"

"What did he do?"

"Ugh… first, he had me go to… one of the tombs to… find some texts relating to philosophy." Lyira explained, stretching as she did, "Then made me do advanced meditation. It was tiring… and my body hurts. How's your day?"

"Painful and annoying." Replied the pinkette bitterly.

"What happened?"

"Well…" Louise hesitated, "I kind of threatened Harkun again."

"Again...?" The Pureblood asked, sounding far too tired to convey what she truly felt, "Do I even want to know why?"

"He tried to have me assassinated."

"Did it work?" Asked Lyira, to which her petite roommate just started until realisation struck, "Wh- oh… oh, no… I made a mistake."

"How did you get this tired? I mean, I know you sometimes get up earlier than me, but really?"

"I… have no idea why maybe the veritable army that was chasing me around the tomb?" The Sith replied, "I suck at stealth. Anyway, who was the assassin?"

"Vemrin," Louise answered.

That had not been the response she had been expecting, "… what."

"Harkun sent Vemrin to kill me." The pinkette explained, "I have no idea why he chose Vemrin, though."

"Oh… so he's dead now. Saves me the eventual trouble."

"Yeah."

Both girls lapsed into a tired silence, one on the verge of collapsing into a coma and the other slowly being lulled into a drowsy state.

"…. Lyira? Could you get off my bed?" Louise asked, shifting into a more comfortable position on her bed.

"Mmm…"

"Could you move over?" Another groan later, and Lyira had rolled over a bit, giving Louise some room to get comfortable before falling asleep.

 _'Alif – Thank you'_

 _'Acolyte Louise,_

 _I apologise for not sending you this earlier. You might have saved my life, but my new master wanted to 'get me up to snuff' on my training. Can't have an apprentice who doesn't know their way around a lightsaber. Still, at least she now begrudgingly accepts me, I didn't really get the warmest welcome._

 _If you survive your trials, I wouldn't mind buying you a drink on Dromund Kaas. The Empire needs more Sith like you._

 _Oh, did you hear the news? That apprentice you saved me from, he and his master both died! I couldn't believe it when I heard it. No longer do I have to hide my face when entering any Sith complexes._

 _Anyway, thank you again for giving me this chance. I will, hopefully, see you later._

 _May the Force serve you well._

 _Apprentice Alif'_

"Louise, today we are going to be trying something different," Umbris informed. Standing amongst a small group of training Sith Lords and apprentices. It had been little over a week since the attempt on her life, and Louise could honestly say it had been quite an exhausting time. She had crawled out of her shell enough that her studies had picked back up and she was enjoying the holocron lectures about battle strategy and other such subjects. Beyond that was her main focus, her continued trial with the Sith Lord Umbris, more often than not, she would arrive back to her room after a long day of training, sparring and what not with quite a few bruises.

"What will that be, my lord?" she asked cordially.

"We shall spar."

Louise nodded, though slightly confused as to what they were doing differently. _We've sparred more than once before… can't hardly classify that as 'different'._ Nevertheless, she pulled her lightsaber from its pouch igniting it as the Sith Lord in front of her did the same. After a silent three second countdown, they initiated the duel.

Lightsaber clashed with lightsabers as she tried to both parry the two sabers and attack the aged man. It was moments like this that she was pleased she had the Gandalfr runes as she shifted to the more defensive Soresu form, had she been without them, this duel would have already ended. After a short battle of Umbris' unrelenting attack hacking into Louise's defences, they broke apart.

That was when the duel turned sour.

Louise was about to take a strike at the Sith Lord, but. "Is that the best you can do, Slave?" Umbris taunted.

The words, particularly the last one caused her to hesitate, leaving her open for a counter attack. Only her rune-enhanced reflexes helped dodge what would have been a lethal blow -of course, it would not actually kill her, for both the sabers had been outfitted specifically for practice duels.

 _That_ word caused her to hesitate, only allowing her to quickly move out the way of an incoming strike. Quickly, she retreated, an odd expression marring her face. Never once had Umbris ever showed any inclination to judge her for her previous _occupation_. The fact that he was now, caused a feeling of betrayal to well up in her.

"Hesitation can cost you the battle, though from what I've seen, slaves are prone to hesitate when doing anything other than serving."

Once again, their blades clashing, though this time her attacks were uncertain. Louise had no idea on how to react. Unlike Harkun, who could only try and send assassins and kill her off in a trial, Umbris however, she truly feared.

"Stop," she asked with a hint of pleading.

Yet her attempt, pathetic as it was, did nothing to dissuaded the Sith, in fact, it encouraged the other Sith around the room, including the instructor, to simply laugh. "Such a disappointment. I had waited a year to see if you would be different than the other slaves, but it appears that I was sorely wrong. You are truly one of the worst students I have ever trained."

Just as the blades kept swinging in a morbid dance of red and orange, the insults, jeers, and belittlements did as well. However, instead of her uncertainty, her anger began to rise. She began to feel her blood boil the more he spoke, and soon, he stepped over the line. "Your sister would be so _disgusted_ with you."

Louise had no idea how he knew about any family relations, considering she was fairly evasive about it, but she did not care. The flash of Cattleya's dead eyes in her mind was more than enough to push her over the edge. "Shut up!" she roared, continuing to hack and slash at the Instructor with her lightsaber. No longer did she care that he was a Sith Lord, and she, a lowly acolyte; She wanted him dead.

She shot out her hand, using the Force to summon one of the nearby Lords or apprentices -she really did not care- lightsaber to hand, specifically a double ended saber. With that ignited, Louise returned to hacking at Lord Umbris with renewed vigour, three deadly lightsaber blades swung in a tornado of movement, one that surprised most everyone in the room. Even the unlucky Sith who had his lightsaber taken away could not argue the apparent skill she fought with. And had Louise been in a different mood, she would have agreed with them. It was quite unorthodox to duel wield a double ended saber in one hand and any other of weapon in the other hand.

However, this power high she felt quickly disappeared when she felt a pressurised wave smash into her body, flinging her into the back wall and effectively disarming her of her two weapons. Before she could grab them again, to restart her attacks, they were summoned out of reach; the double-bladed saber going back to its original owner, and her own lightsaber into the waiting hands of Umbris. "Like I said, Zero. You will forever be a failure, never to amount to anything. Your parents, your sisters will be so disappointed in you."

"Shut up! Just shut up!" She shouted back, pulling herself back up to her feet, her wrath and hatred acting as a wonderful anaesthetic, "I am not a Zero!"

Shooting her hands forwards, she dug up every last ounce of emotion from her being and pushed it forwards in a lethal display of lightening which would have fell any normal man, whether acolyte or apprentice. Unfortunately, Louise was dealing with a Sith Lord who had dedicated his entire life to learning the art of battle; with the two lightsabers in hand, he blocked the bolts of pure hatred, absorbing them into himself, nullifying the effects.

Again, Louise summoned up a storm of lightning, but not only shot that at the Sith, but a torrent of fire towards him. Unable to block both attacks with a simple Force shield, he dodged out the way.

Louise continued to use the Force, against her opponent, while also keeping far enough back so he was unable to harm her with his lightsaber. At this moment of time, she only felt hate for the Instructor, as well as those around her, and used that to further strengthen her connection to the Dark Side. She sent blasts of telekinetic energy that dented the metal walls, blasts of fire that caused more than a few Sith to back off in fear of being burned, and bolts of purple hatred that arched uncontrollably in roughly the direction she wanted it.

She wanted the man dead, less so than Harkun, but dead nonetheless. She would prove that she was strong, stronger than him, and she would see that he begged for mercy.

However, her thoughts of vindictive revenge were put to a halt the second she felt her body seize up. Her eyes shifting around, she found that two Sith in the room were currently holding their hands out towards her. The second she saw this, she knew what had happened; a Force bind. Quite similar to telekinesis, but instead of moving something with one's mind, it was used to stop things from moving. This did not mean that she did not try to resist with all her might.

"I think that's quite enough!" Shouted Umbris, his tone more of an order than a suggestion. She could feel the Force bind she was stuck in slowly constrict around her until she stopped fighting it. "You managed to destroy some of the room with your reckless attacks, but you did well."

"What are you talking about!?" Louise hissed, struggling to break free to strangle the life out of the Battlemaster.

"The only reason I am not scolding you for that disrespect is because I was in the same way when my master trained me." he warned.

"What?" she bit out.

"This was a training exercise. And much like I did, and quite a few others who I have tried it with, you passed. Now, if I let you go, will you not try and kill me?"

Louise did not respond, only glaring hatefully at the man.

"Louise…" He said threateningly, staring down at her.

"…Fine." She hissed.

"Good." And with that, the pressure bearing down on her dispersed and she could move, catching herself before she fell ungracefully to the ground. Looking back at the Sith Lord, the urge just to strike him down flared, but she stayed her blade, "Leave us." With that command, the rest of the Sith filed out of the room, leaving only her and the Battlemaster in the room, "Now, I want you to recite the Sith Code."

The pinkette, unsure on how to proceed, obeyed the command, "Peace is a Lie, there is only Passion. Through Passion, I gain Strength. Through Strength I gain Power, Through Power, I gain Victory, Through Victory, my chains are broken, the Force will set me free."

"Now do you understand why I did what I did?" He asked,

"No…"

Lord Umbris let out a discontent sigh, "Your passions are what gave you strength." He explained, "Unlike the Jedi, we use what we are born with, our emotions. We use what we were given to make us stronger, better than we once were. That is what I am trying to teach you. When you fought that Acolyte, you were angry, but you did not direct it! Use your emotions, even if they are not directed at anyone in particular, _use_ them. It doesn't matter if you don't particularly care for the person you want dead, use all your emotions."

"Yes..." she replied, a tone of resentment still lingering.

The Sith looked at the young girl for a moment, appraising her appearance, "You're still quite squishy… then again, most of your caste are. I am pleased that it was obvious enough that you weren't under the Overseers who specialise in the Warrior caste." Umbris paused in thought, "Louise, do you happen to know about Force Healing?"

"No."

"Well, I don't blame you. Force healing is an odd branch of the Force, able to mend bones, repair flesh, cure some illnesses and do so much more…"

Despite her current feelings, Louise felt her spirit lighten, forcing her to ask, "… Could it heal a scar?"

"I wouldn't know." He began, "This power could only be learned by Jedi. However, we have our own version, not nearly as effective, but unlike the Light Side, it could keep you alive even if you should be dead… though it's not permanent. You need powerful emotions to access this power, anger and hate is the quickest and easiest to use. Before we, the True Sith Empire, made ourselves known, there was a so-called Sith Lord by the name of Darth Sion; he had a mastery of this power which allowed him to continue living despite the mortal wounds he suffered. Though I will tell you now, a life like his wasn't worth living. Anyway, the reason I am telling you this is because, while it cannot truly heal, it can help fix your bruises with constant application, allowing them to heal naturally without them causing problems. I would search the library for information."

The first month came kicking and screaming till the end. If she were to put it into words, Louise would have said that the last three months were the worst months she had during her tenure at the Academy. After the fateful sparring session, she, still resentful, began to dive headfirst into researching Dark Side Healing techniques; she needed to know firsthand if the techniques would help. The results were unforgiving. In all recorded history, the Dark Side has never once healed scars. It could hide them with a ritual, an advanced ritual that Louise could not hope to learn for quite a few years, but permanent healing was nigh impossible. Her other option was skin graphing, but that was expensive and from the holovids, she had seen, they made her sick.

The revelation was like a slap in the face, one her mind could not ignore. It was almost as if she had been branded once again; she could still remember waking up in the middle of the night crying after the horrible nightmares. Louise was just happy she had Lyira to comfort her. However, it was not only the nightmares that continued to plague her. Like an illness, it spread, infecting her training and studies, so much so that Lord Umbris told her to take a break from her trial.

It was an hour passed noon and Louise was meditating. Well, not really meditating, more like passing the time until her roommate returned. She had some questions for the Pureblood. She had woken up early because Darth Baras requested Lyira's presence. Why so early in the morning? Louise did not know, but even when her red roommate left, she had found sleep hard to come by. So instead, she occupied her time by wandering the valley. That is when Louise saw them.

Lyira and a female blue Twi'lek heading off to one of the tombs. At first, she was confused. Louise could not remember a blue Twi'lek training in the Academy. A red one, sure, but a blue one? She wanted to go up and confront her roommate about it, but something inside her caused her to hesitate. Eventually, they disappeared into the tomb and Louise decided to wait. So, here she was, meditating on the Force, waiting for her roommate to return.

The mechanical hiss heralded someone's arrival, shocking Louise out of her trance. Without even looking towards whoever had opened the door, Louise called upon the Force to enhance her speed before diving under her bed sheets.

"Oh, sorry!" came the familiar voice of her roommate, confusing and flustering Louise for a moment. Only on rare occasions did Lyira forget to knock. _Something must be bothering her…_ "I'll wait out here for you."

The door hissed shut once more and the pinkette pulled the blanket off her head, pouting in a way that Lyira would have called 'cute'. Flinging the rest of the blanket off, Louise quickly began dressing herself, chucking on a pair of panties, pants and one of her loose long-sleeved shirts, having discarded her bras once the tightness in her chest became an annoyance.

Once dressed and sure the bandages on her left arm were still wrapped, she opened the door, finding a distracted Pureblood waiting just outside. "You can come in."

"Thanks. Uh… you don't have to worry. Didn't see much." Lyira replied semi-awkwardly.

"It's okay." The pinkette blurted, "I actually thought you were someone else."

Lyira smirked, "Ah, so you were waiting for someone, were you?"

"No!" Louise said quickly, her cheeks turning a similar shade to her hair, "I just didn't want a Sith Lord to see me naked!"

"So, only I can see you all exposed?" The Sith asked.

"Pervert!" Louise replied, her now face furiously red. After a small pause, she frowned, shooting back, "Anyway, I thought you were into blue Twi'leks."

"No, I pref- wait… have you been stalking me?"

"What? No! I couldn't get to sleep after you woke me up!" Louise vehemently denied, her crimson blush stubbornly staying put, "I went outside and saw you and this blue Twi'lek. Other than that, I've been in the Academy!"

"Sure, sure." Lyira said, giving Louise a look that told her the Pureblood was holding her word with a grain of salt, "Well, you don't have to worry." She continued "Her name's Vette and she was only helping me with my final trial. No need to get jealous."

"Oh… that's understanda-" Louise replied, only to pause when realisation struck, "wait… _final_ trial!?"

The Pureblood grimaced before explaining, "Yeah, Darth Baras wants an apprentice pronto, and seeing as you killed Vemrin, he gave me my trial early. I'm… I'm leaving tonight."

Both girls sat in silence for a moment, one contemplating what was said, and the other being content in the presence of her friend. "What are we supposed to do now?" Louise asked, looking the raven-haired girl in her eyes, almost pleadingly.

"Well, I need to pack, but besides that, I can do whatever I want." Lyira answered solemnly, "Though, I have to be on the shuttle out of here by night. We could walk around a bit, have a picnic up in your hidey-hole or something... I would need to message Vette, but other than that…"

"I would like that."

...

Truly, it did not take much time for Lyira to get packed, as the most she had were a few pairs of the acolyte uniform, two robes, some undergarments, her weapons and utilities. She had also forsaken her uniform in place of a pragmatic close fitting dark robe that she had seen a few Sith wear, displaying her newly acquired lightsaber -which she had acquired, weirdly enough, in a tomb- proudly on her hip. When Louise saw her all dressed up, she had thought her roommate… her former roommate looked more like a Sith than she had ever seen.

Once she had packed most everything into a duffle bag, she slung it over her shoulder and motioned for Louise to follow her out the door. First, they entered the cafeteria to grab some food for later, this also in a bag of its own, then they headed off towards the exit.

Aside from a few awkward attempts at small talk, they walked in silence. Louise could not remember the last time she had trouble talking with the red woman, they always had something to say, and when they did not, they were comfortable enough in each other's presence that it did not matter. As of right now, the pinkette felt like a pressure was bearing down on her heart; so much to say to her one and only friend, yet nothing. The simple thought of Lyira leaving her was jarring, she did not want to be alone again, with Harkun and Ffon, with the nightmares.

She could just imagine it, the tossing and turning, the fearful whimpers as she spoke to mere phantoms that haunt her dreams, the mute screams as she relived that moment every night with no comforting touch to sooth her mind. And the part that made it worse... _If I hadn't killed Vemrin, she would still be an acolyte._

Louise never realised how much she had depended on her red friend. Without her, she would have gone insane and did something she would have regretted, if she had time to regret her actions, that is. How her life would have been different if another acolyte had taken Lyira's place, whether it be a blood purist, a slave hater or any other such acolyte the Sith train.

Soon, the duo had exited the Academy complex, veering off to the right to where Louise knew the 'hidey-hole' was. That was when Lyira decided to break the silence. "So, what are your thoughts on the Academy?"

"And what prompted this line of questioning?" Louise asked.

The Pureblood simply shrugged at the query, "I was just curious."

"Well, you're the one leaving, you should go first."

"Eh, okay." Lyira said, "Well, I do enjoy the bedrooms and the comfortable beds, though the fear of being eaten alive whenever we journey beyond the Academy grounds. Overseer Tremel was nice enough, sadly Darth Baras wasn't of the same opinion of me."

Louise did not have the same opinion of the dark-skinned Overseer. She thought he was very much like Harkun, exactly like Harkun. Vemrin was practically in the same boat she was, though he went about it in a different, and ultimately fatal way. Ffon and Lyira had the same similarities as being the Overseers favoured… and being Pureblood Sith, not that she held it against her former roommate.

"The weather is certainly better than Dromund Kaas," The Sith continued, "though not much competition there. And of course…"

Louise waited for an answer from the suddenly nervous Lyira, but when none came she repeated, "Of course?"

"…You."

Louise honestly had no idea how to react to the answer, though her body though blushing would be a good answer. But as she thought of it, Lyira was also the better part of the Academy. "Well, you're certainly one of the better parts of the Academy as well… both of the academies."

They both trailed off into a comfortable silence that was much less depressing than before. Louise had also found Lyira's arm wrapped around her for the remainder of the trip. Eventually, they arrived at the hideout, quickly setting up a small area for the picnic. Various foodstuffs had been arrayed on a sheet they had taken from Lyira's bed. It was not an enormous amount, but enough to satiate the two girls. Once done, they sat back down together, the low hanging sun off to the side of their vision.

"What was your academy like? I mean, I know it was a pretty rough time for you, but what were the differences between the academies?"

"Why would you want to know that? I won't be seeing it, nor will you."

"I know that, but I still want to know about it"

"Well, it's certainly different than Korriban." Louise began, "It wasn't built on a holy burial, not even a valley, just an open plain with a nearby forest. The actual grounds is built like a fortress with five towers forming a pentagram around the centre, largest tower. One of the biggest differences is the curriculum; the Sith Academy has more of a self-study, whereas my old one was more class based and instead of focusing on… well Sith stuff, its' more of a focus on general things like learning new abilities or how to be nobility. There's three set years, first, second, and third years, and once you pass your third year your schooling's over. Another difference is the fact that people getting hurt… well, nobles getting hurt is considered a bad thing. The teachers are supposed to protect the students from all types of harm… supposed being the key word." She added bitterly, "Apparently, someone like me isn't afforded the same protection."

Lyira merely pulled the pinkette into a half hug, silently comforting Louise. As time went on, their talks varied from thing to thing, what Lyira would be doing as an Apprentice, thoughts on Baras and Zash and so on and so forth. Then, somehow, they managed to get onto the topic of love.

"Where you in a relationship before you came to the Empire?" Lyira asked, looking off into space.

"Why would you want to know that?" Louise asked, "I thought Sith frowned upon relationships… something about them being a weakness"

"It's a stupid thing, and I was just curious." The Apprentice brushed off.

Louise shrugged casually, deciding to answer the question honestly, "Well, there's my betrothed, Jean-Jacques."

"…do you like him?"

"He… he was always nice to me when I was a girl; as any betrothed should." Louise replied, "I think I was enamoured with the idea of a knight in shining armour. He could be quite suave when he wanted to. I… I don't know if I ever did actually love him. Maybe a bit, he was quite attractive, even with grey hair."

"Grey hair? At your age? Wh-"

"Oh, no, no, no, no. He's in his late twenties." The Pinkette clarified.

"That's around a decade difference!" cried the Pureblood, shocking Louise; she had never thought she would here Lyira sound scandalised in her life.

"It was an arranged marriage." Louise pouted, "Didn't really have a choice in the matter. But now, if he were here… I would probably call it all off."

"Not that I'm complaining, but why?"

"I will not have who I love dictated to me by others, even if it is my mother and father." Louise said resolutely, "I chose, a slave obeys."

Lyira nodded along in agreement, before asking, "So… you've always been interested in boys?"

"I haven't had many boyfriends if that's what you're asking. Not many guys into failures with flat chests." The petite girl said, the pout returning to her lips.

"No, I was asking if you've ever been interested in girls."

Louise paused. Previously, had anyone asked that she would have denied with vehement, but that would have been her prudishness showing, and considering it was Lyira's last day, she would be serious in her answer, "I never focused on that aspect of my life. Usually, I would be hitting the tomes, trying to find a way to fix whatever was wrong with me." Then something crossed her mind, a distant memory, one of a young Henrietta and the small pangs of jealousy she would feel whenever Prince Wales was around. _Did I have a crush on the Princess?_ The more she thought about it, the more memories came up, despite their age, and with them, feelings that had long been forgotten. _I always did hold her to such a high regard, even despite her title…_

Ultimately, Louise did not voice her thoughts, mostly because she was not one-hundred percent sure, but another was because the simple thought of her and the Princess brought a blush to her face. Lyira accepted the answer given, but a smirk grew on her face when she noticed the blushing girl suitably try to hide her face.

After a moment pause, the Pinkette asked, "What about you?"

"Me?"

"You got anyone you're interested in?" She asked again.

This time it was Lyira's turn to get a bit flustered at the questioning, though it was harder to tell if the Sith was blushing or not, "Uh… yeah… kind of." She replied awkwardly.

While Louise knew almost immediately that there was, she still asked, "What'd you mean?"

"Well…" The Pureblood said awkwardly, "I don't know if they like me or not."

Louise frowned at the answer, "Why don't you tell them?"

"I would, but they're pretty oblivious." Replied the Apprentice, her lips halfway between a knowing smirk and an awkward grimace, "I could be talking to them right now and they wouldn't know." She added, the smirk growing.

"Wow. Pretty thick if they can't see it." The Acolyte replied.

At that, Lyira actually laughed, "You have no idea."

Once again, a silence fell upon the two, who were content to just eat and watch the sun as it made its voyage across the sky. Soon, the sky had turned a crimson red that heralded the setting sun and the rising moons. It was quite beautiful in Louise's humble opinion, much more magical than her homeworld, even without taking into account that the world was practically seeping in this galaxies version of magic.

It was as Louise was enjoying the last few minutes of sunlight that Lyira spoke up. "We should take a picture." It was less than a suggestion and more of a proclamation.

"What?"

"A picture, to commemorate this moment." The Sith explained, "Our final moments before I go on to become an apprentice."

"Okay." The two squished closer, sitting in such a way that the sun would light them both up. Louise had snuggled her head into the nook of the Pureblood's neck, while she rested hers atop the Pinkette's. Lyira, having longer arms, turned her datapad towards the two once she set up the camera.

"On the count of three." Said Lyira.

"one, two, three."

The sound of a snap being made -the by-product of a long, long since redundant piece of technology- alerted them that the image had been taken. Pulling the pad closer, they both examined the picture: Two smiling faces stared back at them, both lit with a scarlet hue. At a glance, they looked happy, but look closer, and you could see tears form in their eyes.

Quickly, Lyira sent the image to her soon-to-be former roommate in a small message, before her eyes darted to the time. A sigh left her lips as she saw it was getting a bit late, "I've got to go now."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Please don't leave me…"

"I have to," Lyira replied, despite the desires, she felt, "I'm an apprentice now. If I don't leave, Baras will have my hide."

"Please, at least let me escort you to the shuttle," Louise asked hopefully.

"Of course you can," Lyira replied, hugging the pinkette tightly. And so, they began to descend from the valley wall, and head off to the valley in a melancholic silence.

There were two shuttle pads in the valley of the Dark Lords, one was for the hopefuls, and the other was for commercial use. During her yearlong study at the academy, she had visited both a number of times, just to familiarise herself with the lay of the land. The Hopefuls landing pad was at the mouth of the valley, built so those who wish to become acolytes must travel from the pad to the Academy proper. The commercial pad was built on the right side of the Valley -if you were looking out from the entrance of the academy- quite close to the main building for convenience; it was also where the skycars were located.

As luck would have it, her hideaway was also on the same side of the Valley, between the Academy and the landing pads. So, it did not take too long to descend the valley wall and arrive at the shuttle pad, despite how slow they had both walked. When they arrived, they found an odd sight as two shuttle guards were arguing with a familiar blue Twi'lek.

While Louise did not pay much attention to the shuttle guards, she did pay attention to Vette. Dressed in a tight brown outfit, far cry from the robes and armours of the Empire, it was a practical casual in her opinion. The Twi'lek, on the other hand, was very much the same as every other female she had seen of the species with the cone ears and the twin lekku. However, the thing that drew her attention the most was the familiar contraption attached to the back of the alien's neck; a shock collar.

While she very much doubted that Lyira was the cause of the collar, it was very suspicious and put her on edge.

"Hey, Vette!" Lyira greeted, drawing the trio's attention to herself and Louise. "There isn't a problem, is there?"

Vette smirk victoriously, waving back before turning to the two, now nervous, guards, "See, I told you two!"

"A-apologies, my lord. We-" One of the guards spoke, bowing deeply.

Lyira put up a hand to stall his apologies, "It doesn't matter, what matters is that me and Vette here, need to take this shuttle to the Korriban Station under orders of Darth Baras." She informed.

"Yes, ma'am." The guard said, taking on a more business-like tone, "Head inside and the shuttle with direct you to the station."

"Vette, go on ahead, I'll be with you in a second," Lyira said to the twi'lek who nodded along cheerily, continuing to smirk at the guards before hopping aboard the ship. "So... that was Vette. Don't worry about the shock collar, I didn't put it on, and will be taking it off soon anyway."

"Good," Louise said, disliking the idea of the collar staying on for any amount of time, though she knew her heart was not with her conviction.

"So, I guess the is goodbye, for now."

"Please, don't leave." Louise pleaded, grasping each of the Purebloods hands, her pink eyes searching the vivid green of her friends for anything she could use to keep the Sith on Korriban.

"Lou, I have to. Baras will have my hide." The Pureblood said, pausing only to grimace at the pout on her former roommate's lips, "Louise. I wanted to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"I don't know how to put it, but… you've been a great friend. I never really had someone like you before." Lyira said, smiling sadly, but there was also a hint of nervousness behind her eyes, "I just wanted to say…"

"Yes?" the petite acolyte prompted, curious to know what was getting the Sith so worked up.

"I… I… I think I… kriff it!" Before Louise could even respond to the odd choice of words, Lyira had pulled the pinkette close and smashed their lips together. Louise felt body seized up and her mind went blank, only the most basic of thought processes were working as it furiously tried to understand what was happening. Strong and firm hands had wrapped themselves around her lithe body, pulling her into an embrace as the Pureblood pushed deeper into the kiss.

Her senses were overwhelmed by the odd flavour and texture of Lyira's mouth and tongue as emotions both familiar and foreign filled her head, causing her heart to start beating furiously; confusion, longing, sadness, love, shock, awkwardness, and fear all mixing together in an explosive cocktail that overloaded her mind. Some, she knew to be hers, but others were not. Once her mind had fully recognised that yes, she was being kissed, that yes, her first kiss was being stolen away by her first true friend, she began to panic.

Louise had no idea how to react other than stand there wide-eyed as her best friend awkwardly, yet passionately kissed her. Her body, on the other hand, felt like it was increasing several degrees in temperature, causing sweat to clammy her hands.

Before she could even think of a reaction, the kiss was broken. Lyira pulled away, looking down at the pinkette, her cheeks a flamed with what Louise assumed to be a blush. For a second, an unreadable expression flashed across her face before the Sith turned and sped towards the shuttle.

Her mind dazed after the kiss, it took a moment before she caught up with what was happening. Once she did, Louise began to sprint over to the ship, however, it was too late. The shuttle's door slid shut and the engines began to fire up, launching it far into the air.

Louise stared up at the fleeting ship as it exited the atmosphere, becoming little more than a black dot in her eyes.

Her breath began to quicken as emotion soon took hold, particularly anger, but another emotion stopped her before she did something she would regret: Awkwardness.

The awkwardness the shuttle guards were feeling was almost palpable as one shifted their stance enviously, trying their best not to look in her direction.

Turning around, Louise tried her best not to sprint back to her room, instead forcing herself into a brisk pace. Her face was set in stone, dull and lifeless, and her eyes unfocused. Any onlooker who gave her less than a passing glance would see nothing out of the ordinary, and that was what anyone truly saw.

Once inside the safety of her room, she let down her walls. Though, instead of exploding into a ball of rage like she felt she would, tears began to fall. Frustration was one of the main things she was feeling at that moment. Too many emotions were running through her to properly react; she wanted to scream and shout and curse the heavens, she wanted to curl up and cry, to beg and plead who, or what, ever was out there to make sense of the world, she wanted to break something… hurt someone. But, Louise could not bring herself to do any of those things.

She just stood there. Tears clouding her vision. Breathing in and out. Trying to make sense of the world.

The same question was playing on repeat in her mind: Why? Why did Lyira have to leave? Why did she leave? Why… _why did she have to kiss me_?

Two days later, and Louise finally managed to pull herself from her bed, if only not to earn the wrath of Umbris. However, this proved to be a fortuitous choice, at least according to the instructor who praised the pinkette on her aggressive turn their sparring matches took on.

Louise did not know what gave her the idea to meditate on the runes, though she did have a few theories; loneliness, boredom, curiosity, the need for something _different_. So, at the beginning of the seventh week of the second month, the pinkette locked herself in her room, stripped down, and began to meditate, using the lightsaber as a focus instead of her training blade.

Unlike last time, the entire ritual happened much faster. Soon the uncomfortable itch disappeared along with the Force, and the cold metal floor was replaced with the tickling feeling of grass blades.

Opening her eyes, she found herself, not in the same place as before. Instead, she was sitting in a wide clearing. From her position, she could see a town far off by the tree line and a crowd of people standing in a semi-circle. Away from the circle, she could see several animals ranging from snakes and rabbits to a griffon and a very large purple dragon. Pulling herself up, she began to walk closer to the group. Much like the last time she was here, she was not noticed by anyone, something she was still thankful for due to her current state of undress.

She could recognise only two people, them being Brimir and Sasha, an older Brimir and Sasha, who were both standing over a stone table. Brimir looked to be writing things down reverently. Standing to the right of Brimir, was a sandy-haired man dressed in an amalgamation of leather and plate armour with an odd dark cloak, he was armed with a bow and a tribalistic staff with a large purple crystal atop it. On the other side of the table, was a tall and lanky elf dressed in a deep green tunic with a leaf motif.

The rest of the crowd were comprised of men and women of varying ages, somewhere mages, if the wands and staffs were any indication, but there was a small minority that could possibly be commoners -a brief spell of uncomfortableness washed over Louise. Once she drew near, she could begin to hear a conversation between Brimir and his compatriots.

"Come on, Brim." The bowman said, pulling both Brimir's and Louise's attention to him, "The people are starting to get restless. If you continue to write your revisions, you'll never be ready."

The Founder sighed, rubbing his forehead with hand, "I know, Eric, but what if it messes up again. I mean, I took yo-"

"Hey," 'Eric' cut in, putting a firm comforting hand onto Brimir's shoulder. "I would be dead if it weren't for you. Stop beating yourself up."

"Yeah, stop saying you're sorry already." Sasha added, "It'll work this time."

"Okay." Brimir said, and with that, he turned, taking several pieces of parchment in hand, and began to address the gathered crowd, "I am happy for you all to join us on this, hopefully, momentous occasion." As he said this, people began to stretch, becoming more alert of what was being said and cheered, "As you all know, I have been working tirelessly to try and innovate a certain spell that is important to all of the Markey. You all know the dangers, and those who have written their name down to test have agreed to take the risk. Now, eh…" the blond messiah shuffled the texts in hand, before reading, "Korl?"

At the utterance of the name, one of the children standing in the semi-circle, a young boy roughly in his early teenage years, stepped forwards nervously, "Yes, Chief?"

"You're first up, come here." The blond beckoned. After a moment's hesitation, the child obeyed, walking right up to Brimir, "Now, once you summon your familiar, use this spell and seal the contract. No engraving required."

"It sounds so simple." Said Korl nervously, taking the parchment in hand. Though, the Pinkette, on the other hand, was staring wide-eyed at the Founder, realising that she was about to witness a familiar summoning in the presence of the Founder himself.

"That's the point," Brimir said, sending off the child to the centre of the semi-circle. From where she was standing, Louise could just barely make out the etching of a large pentagram that had been neatly cut into the ground.

"Okay." The child cleared his throat before beginning, drawing a wand from his waist, "I, Korl Thordson, in the name of the great Five Pentagon Powers, following my fate, summon a familiar!" with that he flourished his wand.

The Pinkette on with a hint of surprise and resentment as the boy flawlessly summoned a great green portal that soon deposited a great grey wolf. Said wolf looked around in confusion, sniffing the air before growling at all around it causing Korl to step back in fright.

"Okay, so far so good… okay, now. Korl, could you please turn over the parchment, there's another incantation. Say it, then kiss its snout." Brimir informed.

"Kiss it!?" Korl asked understandably shocked.

"Yes. Don't worry, I improved the spell. The Familiar should not be able to move."

The child, scared to the core, hesitantly walked closer to the grey beast, his wand raised in a defensive position with a spell on his lips. Once Korl was in touching distance of the wolf, he stuttered out the next words, "P-pentagon of the Five E-elemental Powers, grant your b-blessings upon this creature and binds it as my f-familiar." Once said, he quickly tapped the creature with his wand, kissed its snout and retreated from the grey wolf as quickly as his little legs could.

The effects of the ritual, however, did not wait up for Korl, and soon the wolfs right shoulder began to glow as the beast whimpered in apparent pain. Soon the glowing stopped, and the grey wolf lowered its head in submission, moving closer to its new master. The master, however, was still frightened of his summons, scooting back as the creature advanced.

Everyone else, on the other hand, had different reactions.

"Yes!" Brimir cheered enthusiastically, before noticing the startled looks of those closer to him, though the looks soon turned to praises and cheers as well, however, tamed compared to the Founders. Sasha the elf even ended up hugging the blond mage.

"I told you, Brim!" Eric said, clapping the Founder on his shoulder.

"It worked, it worked!" Korl exclaimed hugging the massive beast who seemed to nuzzle him back in return.

Brimir walked over patting him on the back and praising him before looking back at the piece of parchment. "Now, next summoner…", What followed was an event that brought much nostalgia, resentment and some small modicum of longing to Louise's heart. Several children, all looking around thirteen years old, had stepped up to summon their familiars. Cats, dogs, birds, snakes, and magical creatures of varying types were all called forth from the same green oval, each creature bound flawlessly to their masters. While it was a routine summoning in Louise's mind, she could see from the looks on everyone around hers faces, Brimir's especially, that it was a grand display of magic, especially the contract spell. Whenever one of the children went to bind, majority looked on with bated breaths, though it quickly turned to cheers as the creature was bound.

Soon, every child who looked of age had summoned their familiars, each one grinning ear to ear despite how mundane or majestic their familiars might be; from frogs to the rare fire serpent. Brimir especially seemed pleased with what was happening, until Eric clapped him on the back.

"Is that enough proof, Brimir?" He said, "Confidant to try it yourself now?"

Immediately the Founder's expression soured, "I guess."

"Oh, come on, Brimir." The Elf, Sasha said, grabbing the blond's hand, "Eric was a one-time thing, you got to try again."

Conflict ruled as he seemed to be fighting with the idea of summoning something, but eventually, he resigned, "Okay, okay. I'll try." The Founder of Magic stepped forwards into the centre of the semi-circle admitted the cheers of those around him, each telling him that it would work this time.

His wand flicking into his hand, he closed his eyes in concentration before reciting the same summoning spell used by all the children. The look of anticipation on everyone's faces was infectious to Louise. She was going to see the Founder summon a familiar, and despite no longer following the doctrine, she was feeling slightly excited.

His wand flicking into his hand, he closed his eyes in concentration before reciting the same summoning spell used by all the children. The look of anticipation on everyone's faces was infectious to Louise. She was going to see the Founder summon a familiar, and despite no longer following the doctrine, she was feeling slightly excited.

With a flourish of his wand, he ended the incantation. After a beat, a small cloud of light blue smoke started to seep from the ground, gradually growing in size. Everyone watched on in confusion as the cloud began to swirl around at increasingly fast speeds, only to jump back in surprise as purple electricity discharged like a storm cloud. In the centre of the miniature hurricane, Louise could make out a two-meter-tall green oval flashing into being, only marginally obscured by the blue smoke.

Briefly, Louise's mind conjured the thought that the Founder had somehow summoned a hurricane as a familiar, but all thoughts stopped as she felt her connection to the Force restore. A jarring experience no matter how dull and _off_ it felt. She was not the only one who could feel it, however. It seemed everyone knew something strange was going on, blue smoke notwithstanding. The familiars especially felt the effects of the Force, specifically the Dark Side. Some tried desperately to drag their masters away, and some of the bigger ones managed to do just that, others growled at the strange sight and a small percentage fled without their masters. Even the dragon reacted, moving with surprising speed to protect Brimir, Eric and Sasha with its body.

Suddenly, the centre of the miniature hurricane darkened like a shadow before the entire thing exploded spectacularly.

Louise, for her part, was wholly unaffected by the blast, whereas quite a few others were kicked off their feet, but some, such as Brimir, managed to stand their ground. Soon, the air was cleared with a quick application of wind magic revealing a large crater where the summoning circle once was.

Quickly, Brimir sent out orders, telling some of the older people to take the children back to the village, while he and a small group of people encroached on the crater. Louise, however, stood stock still, too stunned to even move.

While she had only been in this… land? Plane? She did not know what to call it. But whatever it was, she had only visited it once, and even then, she had no idea what to expect. But from what she had gotten from that experience was that the Force had no place in it. At all. The first time, and even the second up until this point, it was void of the Force both literally and figuratively. Now she could suddenly feel it, well, it felt like a dull memory, but she could still sense its familiar presence. The cool embrace of the Dark Side.

With trepidation, Louise began moving towards the crater. She could hear panicked and confused shouting from the group as they fussed around with, from what she could hear, a person.

Soon she was at the mouth of the crater, where she briefly stumbled upon looking at what they were referring to. A woman, if the figure was anything to go by, whose long dishevelled strawberry blonde hair lay messily around her head, and whose skin was pale, so much so, she could have passed for dead. However, the thing that surprised the pinkette the most, was her attire; A loose grey tunic, pants and a long breechcloth that reached just below her calves. Over that was a dark breastplate with armoured boots to protect her feet and braces for her arms.

Many months of spelunking in tombs had made her quite accustom to the various designs of the Old Sith Empire, and the armour and robes the unconscious woman wore was definitely of Sith decent in both decals and make. Whoever the woman was, she was important.

A bright light drew her from her stupor. Turning, she saw Eric moving his hand over the Sith's body, muttering in a foreign tongue. The light, however, seemed to be emanating from the man's palm, not that she could see the true source. Louise was only minutely surprised by that development, as the sight of a _Sith_ in _Halkeginia_ was more deserving of her shock.

Beside the bowman mage, Brimir and Sasha were heatedly discussing the prospect of binding the unconscious Sith. Louise had enough experience to know that the Founder was right to have reservations about binding the Sith; if anyone tried to bind her, she would probably stab them with their own wand. Repeatedly. Though, it soon became apparent that Sasha had one the debate.

"Fine, I'll bind her!" He shouted heatedly before calming himself down a bit, "But if this comes and bites me, I'll bring you down with me." Brimir readied his wand and began to incant the more archaic Familiar Contract spell before quickly pecking her on the lips. After a few seconds, the effect became clear, her body began to tense and her teeth gritted together, then her forehead lit up as she hissed in pain as ten runes began to etch themselves into her skin. Suddenly, as if awoken by the pain, the blonde's hazel eyes flashed open, her body convulsing.

The scene began to blur, and Louise became acutely aware of a headache threatening to split her head. She stumbled back from the gathered crowd trying her hardest to mute or at least ignore the pain, but any technique she tried bore fruitless. Her vision continued to blur, flashing darkly before she found herself face down in her room.

The headache began to diminish, soon becoming barely noticeable allowing the Pinkette pulled herself up from the floor and onto her bed, flopping down tiredly.

"A Sith." Louise said monotonously, rubbing her temples to try and alleviate another headache she could feel coming, "A _Sith._ in _Halkeginia_. _Summoned_ by _the_ _Founder_." An exasperated sigh escaped her lips as she summoned her datapad from the desk. Flipping it on, she found that it was only an hour past noon. "It is too early to deal with this!"

And so, instead of meditating on the thoughts of a Sith in Halkeginia, or practising the various things Louise had been taught by Umbris, she decided to check out the HoloNet; something she had neglected to do for various reasons. During her search, she found quite a few interesting things, such as a HoloTube account belonging to a Dark Council member, a HoloSite entirely dedicated to cute pictures of Gizka -she bookmarked that one, feeling that she would need it later- quite a few 'How To' sites -she also bookmarked- and one peculiar HoloSite which caused what was left of her innocence to die before her very eyes. All in all, she was both in awe and completely disgusted by what she had seen. She would be visiting the HoloNet. A lot.

Louise awoke with a metaphorical frown on her face. It was the day her trial ended and she loathed the thought of being in the presence of her Overseer. She knew, that he would be unable to even lay a finger on her, but he would not put it pass him. However, her trial was not the only thing on her mind as she went about her day, both the vision and the kiss she had gotten had higher priority in her mind. One, a source of angst, and the other, a source of mystery and intrigue; The fact -because she fully believed that the visions were true- that a Sith Lord had somehow arrived on her homeworld during the Founders time was one that caused headaches if thought about too much. Louise would have thought that the news of a Sith walking with the Founder, as a familiar from what she saw, would have been in any number of the history books during her time on Halkeginia, but she could not remember hearing that word anywhere. _Though, I supposed it did make sense_. She thought. _Our governments, while less... Sith... are very similar._

Though, those thoughts quickly ended as she walked down the halls to Harkun's office. A monstrous scowl etched on her face. Louise just hoped that it would be an uneventful meeting, she swore she was going to stab Harkun if he tried anything.

Upon entering, she found Harkun sitting down at his desk. At first, the pinkette assumed she was early when she noticed Ffon's absence, but Louise knew this to be incorrect. then the bitter-sweet thought entered her mind; perhaps Ffon had gone and gotten himself killed. Bitter, because she was not there to see the life leave his eyes. Sweet, because he was finally dead.

Noticing her presence, Harkun looked up at her, his neutral expression turning to an infuriating smirk. "Well, well, well, look who finally showed up." He said smugly, "Ffon has already left by the way. Your final trial will be to retrieve an ancient map from the innermost chamber of Naga Sadow's tomb; a chamber that has never been breached in thousands of years. But to get the map, you will have to awaken a Dashade. You cannot get the map without it."

The Acolyte nodded absently, absorbing the information before reviewing it. She had visited Naga Sadow's tomb a few times, though she was loathed to venture far because of the unearth shrieking that would assault her ears. She really did not want to meet whatever creature it was. Though, to be honest, hearing she would have to meet a Dashade both terrified her and piqued her interest; A supposed race of biologically immortal monstrosities that ate Force-users and, worser still, were resistant to Force based attaks. Louise hoped that the Dashade would be amiable.

"Oh, and one more thing." Harkun continued, pulling Louise from her musings, "You'll be competing with Ffon for this map. Whoever brings it back will be Lord Zash's apprentice. The other will die. Ffon's already started. So, my advice? Run, slave, run."

For a second, Louise stood there, looking like a startled deer. Then, her hand shot to where her lightsaber was hidden. Nobody would believe that a simple Acolyte could kill a full-fledged Sith Lord, even if it was just an overseer. Heck, the only people who knew she had a lightsaber was Lyira, Zash and Lord Umbris. One was far away and the other two did not like Harkun, at least from what she had seen. If she did the deed quickly and quietly, she could leave and get started on her last trial and nobody would be the wiser. But, sadly, before she could make a move, a third party joined their group.

"Ahem, one moment, please." The familiar voice of Lord Zash called, stopping the pinkette from committing first-degree murder.

"Lord Zash? What are you doing here?" Harkun asked shocked.

"Overseer." She began, her tone condescending as it was accusing, "Are you implying that I -a lord of the _Sith_ \- don't have the right to go where I please within the Academy of the Sith."

"No, of course not, my Lord." The Overseer denied.

"Good." Zash said pleasantly, "I saw the last acolyte arrive, I wanted to see the hopefuls off on their final trial. Where's… um… what's his name… the red one, Ffon?"

Harkun looked marginally put out by the Zash's obvious faux-forgetfulness, but answered her question, "He arrived early, so I sent him on his way, rather than keep him waiting for-"

"Pity," She cut in, "I just finished translating the wonderful texts he brought me. It's most illuminating. I don't know if the map could be retrieved without it."

"It's too late. Ffon's already left. You can't just-"

"Give one acolyte an unfair advantage over the other?" Lord Zash interjected, "Overseer when has being Sith ever been about being fair?"

"I didn't know you were one for fairness, Harkun." Louise jabbed quickly, glaring at her Overseer with thinly veiled contempt, "Perhaps you should send someone to assassinate him as well?"

"Oh, yes, I heard about that. Quite impressive, Acolyte." The blonde Sith said knowledgeably, before turning fully to the Pinkette, "Now, to free the Dashade, you must collect several rods scattered throughout the tomb. These rods are the keys to unlock the chamber where the ancient assassin is imprisoned. I don't know the exact reason, but it is clear you will not retrieve the map without the Dashade." She informed, pulling a datacard from her belt, "This card will give you the rest of the information needed. I shouldn't need to tell you how dangerous the Dashade is, but I will warn you: Be careful, this Dashade has killed many Force-Sensitives, do not underestimate it." Seemingly content with the information she had given, she turned to Harkun, fixing him with a piercing glare, "You will not do anything further to affect the outcome of this trial. Understood?"

"Yes, my Lord." He replied quietly.

"Good." She said before turning back to Louise, "May the Force serve you well."


	13. (8) A Map to the Future

**Chapter 12 – A Map for the Future**

* * *

Louise bowed lowly to Zash before walking out of the room with a hop in her step and a smile plastered on her face. _My final trial, Finally! Not only that, but I have the advantage!_ She cheered in her head.

Her destination was clear, her quarters. She wanted to get all dressed up for the occasion, robes and all. Her bedroom door slid open with a hiss, showing the spartan room inside. Her grin faltered slightly at the sight. She would be leaving this all behind, what had been her home for a year. Slowly, Louise walked into the room, the thought of her leaving this place had caused a feeling of nostalgia to make itself known, but she quickly squashed it down. _Now is not the time to think about that_. She thought determined.

Picking up the pace, she quickly pulled out her foot locker, opening it up to reveal all the clothes she had, as well as her blaster pistol and Vemrin's lightsaber. Out of all her clothes, she had two to pick, the recreation of her old robes, and the new pair that Lyira had acquired for her. Looking at her options, she could not help but feel a deep pang of longing and hurt. The only clothes she had which here not supplied by the Academy were the two robes Lyira had gotten her.

Quickly, she got changed into Lyira's gift, the warrior robes, she found it only marginally less tight than the rest of her outfits. _Why are all my clothes are shrinking!?_ The annoyed Pinkette thought. Once dressed, she pulled out her blaster, quickly strapping the holster to her hip along with her lightsaber, which instead of being hidden in a pouch, was now displayed openly for all to see. She also grabbed a bag to carry the rods for the trial. Once pleased with her loadout, she headed out the door and off to Naga Sadow's tomb.

...

Naga Sadow's tomb was one of the closer tombs to the Academy, second only to Ajunta Pall's and… Ludo Kressh's. Having visited it a few times before, she was able to navigate it easily enough. The tomb itself was different from the others she had visited, being one of the closer tombs it had quite a lot of traffic. So, besides the unholy screeches, it was one of the safer tombs to visit; no k'lor'slugs, no insane soldiers, no failed acolytes, and no slave revolts.

Pulling her datapad free, and inserting the datacard, she quickly began to read through the information, trying to find any descriptions or images of the rods she was looking for. Soon enough, she found it: The four rods, each named after an inscription written on it in the ancient Sith script, were large key shaped grey rods topped with a large purple crystal held in place by two triangular prongs. At the other end of the rods was a strange protrusion that bent out at an angle before bending once again, parallel to the rod. The names of each rod are as follows, Hate, Fury, Wrath, Despair.

At first, Louise thought that the Sith definitely had a unique naming scheme, but then another thought hit her. _I've seen these before…_ During her previous ventures, she had seen at least two objects that fit the description but never thought much of them. _Wait, wouldn't the Sith archaeologists have found out their purpose and taken them, or even taken them because they were obviously important?_ Louise paused midstride within one of the many chambers of the tomb. _Is the Empire this dense!?_

Silently grousing over her latest epiphany, the Pinkette followed her memories to the chamber where she had seen the rods. Entering the chamber, she found exactly what she was looking for, in the centre of the room was a statue of half a man presenting one of the rods in a submissive manner. Grinning at the seeming simplicity of the trial, Louise walked up to the presented rod, only to stop short of it as she remembered something important; they were big.

An annoyed sigh escaped her lips as she realised that she would have to lug around four of the rods which were around a meter and a half in length, bigger than the bag she was carrying. Carefully, she tried to lift the artefact, a feat which she could only thank her exercises for, but they were still heavy. Another sigh left her mouth as she put it carefully back onto the pedestal. _I have to carry four of them…_

Shaking her head, she began to try and brainstorm an idea on how to lug the four rods. Thoughts of simply using the Force crossed her mind but were banished just as quick. _What if I got attacked and they broke?_ Other thoughts were also banished as she found problems with them, that was until she noticed a small group of acolytes conversing in the corner. She chuckled silently as an idea started to form.

As she walked over to the acolytes, she called out, "Excuse me?"

"What?" one responded curtly. A tall and red twi'lek with black tattoos reminiscent of ancient Sith designs which looked odd against the maroon acolyte uniform. _Though I have to admit, those tattoos compliment her skin tone really well. I wonder if I could get a tattoo like that…_ Louise thought admiringly.

The twi'lek was one of the few aliens that had been let into the Academy, and despite not knowing her personally, Louise knew she had been a slave, which is where she got her tattoos.

Frowning at the tone, she nevertheless continued, "I require assistance."

"And what assistance do you need, pink-" one of the other acolytes, a stout dark man with short brown hair and eyes, began haughtily. But quickly stopped upon noticing the lightsaber at Louise's hip, "er… my lord?" he said nervously.

Louise's lips quirked. _He thinks I am a Sith Lord… or at least an apprentice._ "You see that rod?" the pinkette gestured to the statue in the centre of the room, "There are three others like it, I need some of you to help me haul them deeper into the tomb. If you help, I will be more than happy to pay you for your assistance."

Briefly, she felt like the Sith Lord down in the lower wilds who had asked for their assistance months before. She had enough money -or credits, as they called it- to go around, mostly from helping Sith Lords or the Military with things. Though, as Lyira had once pointed out, successful acolytes have the credits of their fallen rivals split up between each other, meaning she got a share of Kory, Niloc, Gerr, Wydr and Balek's money with Ffon. She felt slightly bad because of it, but the Pureblood was quick to quell her, telling Louise that it was their way of helping her in death.

"Well, I got nothing better to do." The man said, stretching slightly, "Anyone else?"

...

Three rods later, and Louise and her small party of acolytes found themselves standing on a platform overlooking a massive chasm, the only path onwards being to the left. On the side furthest from them, they could see a monstrosity of a machine; a large circular platform that sprouted from the deepest depths of the sinkhole with a small dais atop it. Above that, was a similar cylindrical machine above it, the only thing connecting the two was a pale blue beam energy. Eight pylons sprouted at the four 'corners' of the construct, four above, four below, each arching electricity between them.

However, while awed both her and her followers were, it was the grey humanoid creature that floated between the two contraptions that interested the Pinkette. _The Dashade…_

For a moment, Louise spent her time thinking about how to reach the Dashade, at the moment she could only follow the path and hope it took her to where she was meant to go. She also had the idea of using a speeder or skycar to reach the other side. But that idea was dashed the moment one of the pylons discharged an aggressive bolt of electricity at a Shyrack that seemed a bit curious with the monster on the other side of the chasm.

"Well," Louise said, watching said shyrack fall into the abyss, "We're not getting to the Dashade that way."

"Wait, Dashade? You're trying to get to the Dashade?" Asked the twi'lek nervously, seemingly terrified at the thought of fighting a Dashade.

"Pretty much." Was Louise's casual reply.

"Then what?" another one of the acolytes asked.

"Either convince it to help me finish my mission, or… well, let's hope it doesn't come to that. Come on."

And so, the group followed the Pinkette across a path leading them to another chamber. From there, they made their way to the locked doorway, beyond which, was the Dashade. They found very little in regards to resistance, only a few shyracks that were starved enough to try and attack a large group such as the one Louise was leading.

The door chamber was quite spacious, with what looked to be a meditation dais in the centre for meditation. Off in the corners were four altars where the rods would be placed. The door itself was a massive double door with pale blue symbols etched in the centre surrounded by a stylised elliptical circle around it. Louise could tell it was alive with latent Force energy.

Checking her datapad to revise what needed to be done, she found it quite simple… eerily so. All she needed to do was place the four rods on their respective alter and meditate in the centre of the room, focusing on door and the crystals.

"Okay, I need you guys to place the rods on the corresponding alter." Louise ordered, "They should all have a word engraved around the base of the crystal, as well as one on the altar."

"Will do," they chorused.

Whilst they worked, Louise went over the ritual once more, and again, and again. She knew that a failed ritual could have disastrous effects on the practitioner. _Place the rods and meditate, place the rods and meditate place the… hey, where's Ffon?_ That line of thought made her pause and her paranoia kicked into gear.

"We're done." The twi'lek said, pulling the Pinkette from her musings.

"Thank you… uh, I have to ask. Have any of you seen an acolyte around here?" Louise asked, "He's a Pureblood and usually wears a dark robe with his hood up."

"Yeah, we've seen him snooping around the tomb." one of the acolytes replied, a female who looked similar to Kory, the dead acolyte, "He came in around thirty, forty minutes before you. Surprised we haven't seen him yet. Any reasons?"

"Just curious. Well, I guess I'll pay you all and be done with it." Pulling out her datapad, she began the monetary transfer, however, knowing that it would be too tedious to transfer the credits amongst the group, she decided to give the money to their apparent leader to share. Soon she was done and bid good day to the group who left somewhat hesitantly. _I suppose they wanted to see the Dashade up close._

Now alone, Louise walked to the centre of the room and began to meditate on the Force. She stretched out her senses, feeling the Force energy generating from the four crystals and the door, feeling and interacting with the energy. The sound of crackling electricity drifted to her ears, but she paid it no mind; she did not want to mess up the ritual with a distraction, lest something horrible befall her. That was her mistake.

Pain.

Four lances of Dark Side charged lightning impaled her very being, making her nerves scream in agony. Had this been the first time she had been struck by pain like this, she would have fallen unconscious. Now, though? It took everything she had to stop herself from falling to the ground in a heap, feeding off the pain to keep herself relatively stable. The last year had been pain after agonising pain for her. Starting with her time as a slave, to the unforgiving nature of being an Acolyte of the Sith Empire, and then there were the last four months; both the emotional, mental and physical scarring from Lord Kressh's tomb and her training with the Sith Battlemaster. The Empire had done much to destroy what was once and innocent, sheltered girl and turn her into this.

Louise would not let a simple ritual such as this stop her from achieving her goals. So, instead of letting the electricity ravish her body, she instead mentally latched onto the electrical tendrils of Force energy and let the Dark Side fuel her. Combined with her hate, anger and pain, she lashed out.

Thrusting her hands out, she conjured a massive storm of focused Force energy, blasting the door in front of her with a roar of rage.

Soon, the energy from the crystals depleted, along with the Sith symbols -which had lost their blue glow and become a murky brown. The doors swung open of their own accord as if it were welcoming her to her prize.

Louise stood there, staring at the floating Dashade that levitated peacefully inside the blue beam across a short bridge. She had not moved from her position in the centre of the chamber, instead, she tried to heal her aching body. Silently, she seethed at the pain she had felt, and stewed in the hate she was feeling for Harkun and Ffon. Using this, she willed the Force to calm her nerves, removing the pain and ache she felt.

Once done, she took her first shaky step off the dais and began to march purposefully towards the Dashade across the bridge. Soon, she had arrived just short of the platform the Assassin was levitating on.

Her eyes washed over the creature, taking in all its appearance; pale grey leathery skin stretched over its heavily toned body, with several black bar tattoos decorating its chest. She could see strange metallic bumps protrude from his skin, something she recognised as cybernetic implants. However, its face was the strangest of all, instead of a nose, there was a blood red line that started from its forehead and ran down to its chin, and without any lips to speak of, she could see large vicious teeth. It -Louise had no idea if it was male or female- was only dressed in a tribalistic loincloth, utility belt, and a back-slung sheath for a sword she could see poking out over its shoulder.

Louise could see that the creature was strong and a formidable warrior, but she was not intimidated, and any fear she felt, fed her strength. She was made to speak, but before she could, the Dashade threw back its head and started laughing, or what she assumed was laughing. It was not a joyful laugh like one might expect from someone finally meeting another sentient for hundreds of years, but a cold bitter laughter.

" _All the world conspires to mock me!_ " The beast exclaimed in the ancient tongue of the Sith, before laughing some more, " _Tulak Hord! I waited for you, I did everything you said! And this is what you send me? Ha!_ " The Dashade soon turned its attention from the ceiling, and down to the Pinkette in front of him, his reptilian yellow eyes glowing cruelly, " _Fate is cruel to me, little one. But not as cruel as it is to you. You have made a terrible mistake._ "

Louise's eyes narrowed at the thinly veiled threat, "Fate is cruel," she repeated, knowing first-hand how cruel it could be, "But that doesn't mean you need to withhold your name."

" _I am Khem Val, servant of Tulak Hord, who was called the Lord of Hate, Master of the Gathering Darkness, Dark Lord of the Sith,_ " The Dashade declared, " _Together, Tulak Hord and I devoured our enemies at the battles of Yn and Chabosh, and brought the entire Dromund system to its knees. And now I await his return._ "

 _Oh, wonderful, I just had to meet the personal assassin of Tulak Hord!_ Louise grumbled mentally. _This day keeps getting better and better._ Turning her attention back to the organic death machine, she introduced herself, "I am Louise, Acolyte of the Sith Empire and…" She paused, not knowing how to word what she was to say next without angering him, "I apologise but Tulak Hord is dead."

" _Dead? My lord, why didn't you come for me?_ " Khem Val's voice seemed devastated as he called for his long-dead master, " _I would have died with you- no, I would have slain death itself!_ " He shouted, " _As for you, you should not have come here; for I hunger… and I will devour you!_ "

And with that, the massive creature began struggling under the invisible binds that kept him suspended. Louise backpedalled away to a safe distance, her hand ready on her lightsaber. The beam began to flicker under the sheer power of the Dashade and she knew that it would not last. Soon, the entire beam flickered out permanently, dropping him unceremoniously onto the ground. Once he was on his feet, Khem Val started advancing towards her, stumbling slightly as he jumped from the platform to the bridge.

From that single stumble, Louise was able to deduce that the ancient assassin was very much weakened by his prolonged captivity, but that did not suppress the shudder she felt. Now that the Dashade was standing on the same level as her, she could truly see its size. Towering over two meters- two and a half meters high, Khem Val glared down at Louise, unsheathing the massive blade from his back.

The sword itself was deserving of its own awe. Finely crafted ashen silver metal, nearly the same size as herself. If that was not intimidating enough, it was the shape; the handle and half the blade was much like a broad claymore, but instead of tapering to a point, it fanned out, making the tip look more like an axe head. Whoever forged the blade, must have wanted an intimidating blade to tear through their enemies.

Louise stood her ground, unclipping her lightsaber and igniting it. The orange blade gave the Dashade reason to pause as if evaluating his foe. Then he charged, his blade held high as he tried to strike the Pinkette down.

Instead of dodging the attack like she would have previously, she parried the blow, using the creature's momentum against him as he sailed harmlessly by. In response, Khem shot his hand out, firing off a blast of electricity at her. Knowledge flooded her mind, directing her movements to successfully dissipate the lightning using her saber. As she did this, her left hand was moving deftly to her sidearm, unsheathing her blaster and firing off a few bolts of plasma, distracting the massive beast as he either deflected or dodged each of the bolts.

Pleased with her distraction, the Pinkette charged and jumped over the creature, dodging an attack aimed at her midsection, and kicked the Dashade in the head with as much force as her rune-enhanced foot would allow.

Khem staggered back, not expecting such a strong attack to come from a lithe girl such as Louise. He held his head in one of his three-clawed hands, dazed. This gave the Pinkette, who had not stopped moving since the kick, all the time she needed to fire off a single bolt of plasma into the Dashades hand.

The ball of plasma struck true and the Assassin dropped his massive blade. Louise quickly holstered both her weapons, drawing upon the Force to summon the sword into her waiting hand.

The second they met, all the information on the type of blade it was and how to use it was pumped into her mind, and through this, she understood two things: one, it was a Sith Sword, forged from Sith Alchemy, lightsaber resistant and extreamly sharp; and two, she was glad she had not used lightning against the creature, for the blade would have absorbed the electricity to be used against her. Had Khem wielded this weapon at his peak strength, Louise knew that she would have been killed.

Louise hoisted the weapon up in one hand, a surprising feat for anyone who did not know her secret and pointed it at her disarmed opponent. "I win." She asserted, smirking imperiously.

Khem looked between her and his empty hand before throwing his head back to let out a humourless laugh, " _Ha! Defeated! Defeated! Why did you not come for me, Tulak! Why have you allowed your servant to be reduced to this?_ " he shouted to the aether, " _Fine, little one. In my great weakness, you have defeated me, so I must serve you -this is the law that binds me._ " His voice was one of resignation and defeat, " _But, you are not my master._ "

"That is alright with me," Louise said stunned at what had happened. _Did I just bind a Dashade as a servant…?_

The sound of clapping echoed in the silent chamber. Both Louise's and Khem's eyes snapped in the direction where she saw the group she had just paid cheering her victory. Louise raised her hand in recognition, before looking around for where to continue her journey. Her scouting skills lead her to find a noticeable path that connected to the short bridge she stood on, to a previously unexplored chamber. "Let's go." She said to her newly acquired companion.

" _As you command, little one._ " Replied Khem as they began walking off to the new chamber. " _But someday I will regain my strength._ " He warned, " _That is whe-_ "

Louise cut him off, "I don't have time for you thinly veiled threats," she hissed, "I did not free you to fight, I set you free to help me complete my trial! Now take me to the room with the starmap."

" _As you command, little one,_ " Khem replied.

"And don't call me 'little one'!"

" _As you wish, pink one._ "

Louise only growled in response.

...

As it turned out, the entrance to the star map was behind an unassuming stone wall, only accessible by the immediate destruction of said wall at the hands of a Dashade. Louise had asked the massive assassin why the criteria for opening the door was so specific. He only shrugged, mentioning that Tulak Hord liked hiding his information in strange, yet simplistic ways before continuing through the tomb.

The two ended up lapsing into a cautious silence; at least, that was what the Pinkette was doing. The halls of the hidden sanctum were littered with droids, torn apart and crushed. At a closer look, she could see that they were not damaged by lightsaber nor blaster, but by claws and teeth… Big claws and teeth.

Louise had an idea about what had caused the damage, one that she desperately hoped was not true.

Though, any thought about what was stalking the halls soon went to the back of her head once she turned into the final room. The chamber was a large hall, obviously meant to house quite a few people; along the sides of the room were tall grey statues of humanoids with their heads bowed low in submission -some were intact, others dilapidated. At the far end of the room was a staircase that leads up a stage. From the mouth of the room, the pinkette could see a large holographic image of the galaxy slowly swirling around in the dim lit room. The image was captivatingly beautiful, in her humble opinion.

Louise was about to go charging up to the hologram, but a low growl froze her mid-step. It seemed that Tulak Hord had left more in the way of protection over his hidden star map. _Well, merde._

A massive creature with creamy brown skin that turned to a murky red near its hands, feet and the two tusks that jutted from the side of its mouth. Spikes of various sizes sprouted from its back and elbows, reminding Louise of a demonic hedgehog with a human-esque mouth that seemed to twist into a permanent smile showing its many pointed teeth. Two small milky white eyes gazed in an unfocused manner towards the two interlopers from where it was hiding from behind the statues. A Terentatek. A starving Terentatek, if its sickly thin body was anything to go on. _This is actually worse than my original theory…_

Normally, the diminutive Acolyte would have chosen to flee from such a beast as to _not_ die, but it was between completing her trial or being killed by Harkun... the choice was simple. Even the Sithspawn knew which choice it wanted Louise to make as it charged towards the intruders, knocking over a few statues in the process.

In response, both Force-sensitives split up, each moving to the opposite sides of the beast, pulling free their weapons and getting into their stances. Khem was the first to act, charging the Sithspawn with his alchemical weapon held high. Louise on the other hand, chose to instead attack it with the Force, striking it with lightning, keeping her distanced from the creature. Sadly, it became apparent that her attacks were barely affecting it, so instead, she switched to telekinetically ditching debris at the creature.

Khem, using his years of experience, used her attacks as a distraction to strike at its weak points, its joints and soft underbelly. When the terentatek got savvy to what he was doing, the Dashade began utilising hit and run techniques, striking it in one place, before moving out the way for a large piece of rock to slam it in the face.

Neither of the combatants, but Khem, could keep up their attacks, but luckily, the monstrosity was the first to fall. Trapped under a partially destroyed statue, all it could do was claw at whoever was closer, its legs and arms too weak and damaged to lift its weight once more.

Using the Force, Louise leapt atop its head, steadying herself as the creature tried in vain to flick her off, only ceasing its movement when she stabbed it in the eye with her lightsaber. Hopping down from the creature and dusting herself off, the Pinkette smiled at the dejected look at the Dashade before turning her attention to the starmap, "Well, that was easier than I thought it would be," she said, feeling a bit tired from her telekinetic bombardment, "but I guess that's what you get when your guard dog has been starving for thousands of years."

Khem merely grunted in acknowledgement, poking the beast with his sword.

Louise began to walk up the steps to the holoprojector, running her hands through the hologram as she went. For some reason, she felt a distinct satisfaction as she watched the projection fizzle around her hand as she intruded in the space it was occupying. _I do really love technology…_

Now, standing in front of the holoprojector, she scanned for the datacard port, once found, the pinkette pulled one of the cards from one of the pouches on her belt, inserting into the machine. Once she figured out how the projector worked, she downloaded the information and ejected the datacard.

The petite acolyte looked down at the small card in her hand; despite being quite light, it felt heavy. Pocketing the piece of tech, Louise walked down the staircase with the Dashade assassin following reluctantly behind her. The duo got halfway across the room before something stopped them mid-stride. Standing in the middle of the entry way was a slack-jawed Ffon.

At first, neither party did anything but stare at the other, that was until Louise decided to speak up. "Hi, Ffon!" she exclaimed cheerfully, a sadistic smile crossing her lips.

For a moment, he looked like a fish gasping for air as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, "Y-you!" he eventually stammered intelligently.

"Me?" She asked innocently, enjoying the look of utter outrage on the Purebloods face.

"You!" he repeated, "How did you get here!? An-and the Dashade! You have the starmap!?"

"Yep"

"No, no!" Ffon shouted in disbelief, his brain struggling to comprehend, "There's no way a low life wretch of a slave could have possibly gotten it! You cheated, you filth! How did you release the monster, how did you do it!" he demanded.

Louise made to answer, but was cut off by the Dashade, " _I am not a monster,_ " he growled, " _I am Khem Val, servant of Tulak Hord, devourer of the rebels at Yn and Chabosh, consumer of the Dromund system. And I am hungry_ " The Assassin went to unsheathe his sword, but his master stopped him with a raised hand.

"Don't worry, Khem, I will deal with this idiot. Then you can eat." She placated, her eyes never once leaving the acolyte in front of her, "So, Ffon, what are you going to do? I have the map and the Dashade. You failed."

"No! You cheated!" He shouted, repeating himself as if the more he said it, the truer it was, "You must have. Tell me how you did it!?"

"Simple." Louise said cheerfully, enjoying the outrage, "Harkun hated me, he gave me the tough trials; trials that would have seemed impossible to anyone else. He constantly challenged me, disadvantaging me at every turn. He even sent an assassin after me! But instead of killing me like he hoped, he was making me stronger. Harkun set you up for failure, and it couldn't be proven any more than now." She explained, "He sent you off ahead, trying to give you the advantage and that led to me being the successor. When I went to get my trial, Lord Zash showed up and gave me some important information on how to release the Dashade. If only Harkun had kept you behind for a little longer. How does it feel to be destroyed by the one who held you in such high regard?"

"No, Harkun couldn't, wouldn't have done that!" He yelled as if the mere thought that Harkun would have damaged his chances was ludicrous, "I deserved to be Lord Zash's apprentice, not you! You worthless pathetic slave! I am true Sith, I should be the winner, you karking slave!"

Louise's eyes narrowed, glaring down at the Pureblood, "Ffon, I would stop right now, if I were you." She said, her voice losing all cheerfulness, no matter how fake it was.

"Shut up, filth!" He retorted, "You do not get to tell me what to do! You should have been killed in the slave pens, strangled at birth." Ffon ranted maniacally, "You don't have the right to call yourself a Sith! I worked my entire life for this, and a kriffing, worthless, pathetic, slave gets to be Lord Zash's apprentice!?"

If Louise's eyes could have narrowed any further, they would have, "Enough!"

"No! I will be Lord Zash's apprentice, and I will put you down where _you_ belong! I wonder how that traitorous whore, Lyira, will react when I tell her how I made her girlfriend suffer!" And with that, he unsheathed his training blade and sped towards the Pinkette, murder evident in his eyes.

However, he was not the only one who had murder in their eyes, for once what he had said fully registered, Louise went from simply annoyed to absolutely livid, her eyes literally glowing with malice. The second Ffon came within hitting range, she had begun to move using her rune-enhanced body, pirouetting to the side before she sent a devastating kick to his leg, snapping his femur.

Before he could even scream in pain, she had ignited her bronze lightsaber and removed his hand from the rest of his body, along with his weapon. With her free hand, she grabbed onto his face and slammed him down onto the ground, but not enough to knock him unconscious or even kill him, just enough to be painful and daze.

His pained cries were like music to her ears as he squirmed around to get up, "Don't you dare insult her," she spat as she threw her left hand forwards unleashing an agonising beam of pure lightning hatred into his body.

She held him under the tortures effects of Force lightning for two, in her opinion, sweet minute, enjoying every pitch his screams reached before his voice became horse. She let him recover, only to begin electrocuting him again, and again, each time much sweeter than the last.

"Y-y-you m-monster!" he stuttered as his body curled up into the fetal position in a hopeless attempt to shield his body from her wrath, "Y-you ca-can't kill an acolyte!"

"Monster?" She asked, twisting her voice into a cruel mockery of an innocent child, "I thought I was a worthless slave, _Ffon_." As she said that, her voice took on a more aggressive tone until she got up to his name, where she promptly shocked him with electricity, "Come on, Ffon, show me your superiority!" she roared, lifting him up with the Force, before slamming him down onto the ground, winding the Pureblood.

Before he could begin moving again, Louise quickly walked up to his prone figure and straddled him, holding his face in her hands, "I thought you were trained by the greatest masters? Where'd all their wisdom go, Ffon? Come on, answer me!" she shouted, plucking her blaster from her hip and firing a bolt into his remaining hand, then again at his elbow and again at his shoulder, relishing in his horse cries of pain.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, "Kehm?" she called, drawing the attention from the Dashade who was content to sit down and watch the show from a broken piece of statue, "I have a question about our bond."

" _What is it, pink one._ " He asked.

"If I told you to keep a secret, will you?"

" _Until the bond is broken, yes._ " The Dashade answered.

Louise smiled in response, turning back to the now terrified Ffon, "Y-you can't kill m-me," he pleaded pathetically.

"Silence!" she hissed, snapping her fingers to conjure a small ball of flame that she sent shooting into Ffon's mouth, watching with unaltered glee as his tongue was burned to a crisp, "You dare think you can tell me what to do!? You only know me as a slave, but you know nothing about me. So, let me enlighten you.

"On my homeworld, we have a similar system to the Empire, with those who have power at the top, and those without serving. Except, instead of Sith or Force-users, we have mages. As mages, we were able to bend the four elements to our wills; Earth, Water, Fire and Air. However, there is a fifth element, one more powerful and sacred to our people. It was known as the Void.

"Now, there has only been one recorded account, six-thousand years ago, about a user of the Void, and he was known as Brimir, the Founder of Magic, my homeland's holy messiah -not that I buy into that anymore. But there is one problem: if our only account of a Void user is over six thousand years old, how will we know about another Void user? Which is exactly what happened." As she said this, she began to unwrap the bandages on her left hand, "You see, I am a user of the sacred Void, not only that, but I am Gandalfr!" With that, she grasped her lightsaber in her right hand, savouring Ffon's expression as he stared at the now glowing runes, "I am no slave. I am Louise, Master of the Void and the Left Hand of God!" She let her proclamation hang in the air for a few moments before hissing, "Now, _Scream_!"

A snap of her fingers, and two conjured balls of fire later, and Louise was watching happily as Ffon's eyes were burned out of his skull. Once his eyes were nothing but burnt charcoal and blood, she dismissed the flame.

Getting up from the Ffon, she walked over to Khem who was currently looking at Louise strangely, "You will not inform anyone of what happened here."

" _As you command._ "

"If you're hungry, you can eat him." She informed and without waiting for a reply, turned around and left the room.

...

"Loui- The Dashade!?" The walk back to the Overseers office was a quite affair with Louise acting much more subdued than she had been. She was happy that Khem had not spoken, allowing her to do some thinking on her own. Soon enough, they had arrived at his office, a bit quicker than she would have liked. Now she was standing in front of a shocked Harkun who stared at the Dashade with obvious contempt and anger.

"I also have the map right here," Louise said, pulling the datacard from one of the few pouches on her belt.

The outrage was clear on the Overseers face. "What!? Give me the map!" He shouted, making a grab for the card in her hand, but Louise simply stepped out of range, pulling free her blaster and pointing it at the Overseers face at the same time as Khem pulled free his weapon.

"Try me, Harkun. Let's see if you can move faster." The Pinkette hissed, her rather neutral expression twisting to a sneer. The Overseer backed off, seemingly smart enough to know that it was not an idle threat, "Only I, or Lord Zash, shall touch the datacard as long as it is my power to do so."

"How dare y-"

"What is going on here?" A familiar voice called. Louise, recognising who it was, quickly holstered her blaster before turning and bowing to Lord Zash.

"Lord Zash!" Harkun exclaimed in surprise.

"What is going on?" She repeated, casting suspicious looks between the three other beings in the room.

"I… um." Harkun stammered.

Louise briefly wondered if Ffon got her reactions from Harkun, but quickly discarded the thought, "A conflict of interests, my lord. Overseer Harkun wanted me to hand him the datacard, but I thought it prudent to hand it to you personally." She explained diplomatically, holding said card out for the Sith Lord to take.

"The starmap? Oh, wonderful!" said Zash, taking the datacard greedily, "Now, where is the other acolyte?"

"He hasn't returned," Groused the Overseer.

"Is that so?" The Sith Lord said thoughtfully, however, it was clear to all three in the room, she had no care for the Pureblood, "You wouldn't have seen him in the tombs, Acolyte Louise?"

The Pinkette shrugged in response, "I saw him once, but not much after that. He could be dead, there was a hungry terentatek in the deeper sanctums." She lied, "'Was' being the key word, we dealt with it."

"Impressive, Louise. As for the other acolyte, his life would have been forfeit anyway." Zash said casually. Harkun, however, looked as if his ancestors had been insulted at the blasé way Ffon's life was discredited, "And seeing as you are the last acolyte standing, as well as the one who completed the trial, you are now my apprentice. Now, first order of business; you are to meet me in my chambers upstairs."

The startled look on Louise's face would have made any passer-by laugh. _I thought there would be a ceremony… something more at least._ "Uh… yes, my… Master"

"Good." And with that final word, Lord Zash turned around and strutted out of the room at a brisk pace, leaving behind a smug looking Louise, a bored Khem and a seething Harkun.

"This is not the end," The latter spat, "Without Lord Zash to save you, you're nothing."

"If I remember correctly," The Pinkette replied coldly, holding up her hand to silence him, "I managed to survive the assassination attempt _you_ organised and every. Single. Trial you sent my way. On top of that, I laid waste to the population of K'lor'slugs, killed a mutated Tuk'ata, survived Lord Kressh's nightmares and killed a terentatek only a few minutes ago.

"Your word has no weight, and three other Sith Lords agree with my sentiment. Had you trained Ffon like you trained me, then you might have gotten the Pureblood you desired, but instead you trained me, the one you hate the most, for greatness. I guess I should thank you, but one shouldn't be thanked for stupidity." Louise turned around in a very Zash manner and began walking out of the office with her reluctant companion behind her, only stopping momentarily at the door, "Au revoir, Overseer."

And so, Louise and her reluctant companion left the room, leaving Harkun behind, and headed upstairs to talk to her new master. Once they arrived in her office, the Pinkette could not help but feel impressed with the chamber. Lord Zash's room was quite spacious, more so than Harkun's, with her desk sitting upon a dais with walls covered in quite a few books, holocrons and texts. It was obvious that she was trying to show superiority in both class and intellect with how her room was set up.

The Sith Lord herself standing at her desk, looking through something on her holocomputer, "Ah, my magnificent new apprentice. Congratulations are in order, I believe." She praised, looking up from whatever she was working on.

"Thank you, Master." Louise replied, bowing slightly, "I am truly grateful."

"You earned it, Louise." Zash continued, "Though, I do wish you could tell me what truly happened to the red one. Don't worry, I will not hold it against you."

"Well, when I retrieved the star map, Ffon showed up." Louise began, trying to make it out so she was innocent, "He was confused and furious that he had been beaten. Tried to kill me and take the map. We fought and Khem, here, ate him. I did not kill him, he simply met his end face to face with a hungry Dashade."

Like Zash had said, she did not hold anything against Louise, instead, a smirk crept onto her lips as she regarded her new apprentice, "That is quite insidious of you, my young apprentice."

"Thank you."

"Now, that the congratulations are out of the way, let's get down to business." Lord Zash said, casually moving the conversation away from the murder of an acolyte, "Despite not having much time to look into the map you brought me, the data on the card alone is enough to tell me we have a lot of work ahead of us. I will soon be heading off to Dromund Kaas and you will accompany me. In an hour or so, you will meet me down by the shuttle bay, there we will depart. If you have any business to attend to, I would get them done. understand?"

"Yes. Thank you, master." With a final bow, Louise left her master to continue whatever she was doing before. The former acolyte only had two things of interest to do before she was ready to leave, one, which was obvious, was to get packed; the other, was to get some food.

Once downstairs, the pinkette headed off towards the cafeteria to get some much-needed food. Naturally, as it was around midday, it was packed with hungry Acolytes and Sith. Louise grabbed a decent sized meal of vegetables, meats and some bread. Khem did not choose anything.

Lunch was a silent affair, one that brought many an eye to the duo. Louise, at one point, offered some food to the Dashade, but he turned it down. After the meal was finished, she headed off to her room. Once inside, she let nostalgia take hold. Now that she had finished her trial, and her chances of death were lower, she could fully immerse herself in her memories of the place. Part of her felt nervous about leaving the Academy, it had been her home for nearly an entire year, but she was going to a new place with different things expected of her. Not only that, but she would be going to Dromund Kaas, where Lyira was.

A newer, stronger wave of anxiety took hold as she thought about meeting the Pureblood again. She had questions, questions she wanted answers for, but at the same time, she feared what the answer would be. _Why did Lyira have to kiss me, it was so much simpler before._

Louise sighed and started the simple task of getting packed for Dromund Kaas.

Soon, she was ready with a large duffle bag filled with her clothes and other items of interest. A quick look around the room to see if she missed anything and the Pinkette headed out of the door, meeting up with Khem who had waited patiently outside.

" _It looks like trouble, pink one._ " The Dashade assassin spoke up as they left her, now old, room. He was quite right in his assessment, as blocking the hall in which she stood were three men.

The first man, obviously their leader, was a large tanned man with short dull brown hair and equally dull eyes. He wore a red jumpsuit with dark red pauldrons, chest piece, gauntlets and boots. A lightsaber on his hip signified his status as a Sith; if she were to guess either an apprentice or a lesser Lord.

The other two were lanky guys with similar, but obviously lighter, armour in a purple hue over a grey uniform and forgettable faces. She could tell by the vibro-swords on their backs, that there was a high possibility that they were simple thugs working for a Sith.

"Stop right there, Slave." The man commanded. Immediately, Louise hated the guy, "Darth Skotia has a message for you."

 _Darth Skotia?_ Louise did not recognise the name, though, with the amount of Sith in the galaxy, it was hardly surprising, but the simple fact that a _Darth_ of all people had taken interest in her, was an uneasy thought, "And who might you be?" she asked calmly, not really wanting to fight.

"I am Darth Skotia's apprentice, Ortosin Mali." He introduced arrogantly.

Louise nodded in understanding, pleased that it was not an actual lord she was talking to and merely an apprentice, but the fact that it was a _Darths_ apprentice lingered in the air, "Okay, Ortosin, what's the message?"

"The message is this: You will not go to Dromund Kaas." Ortosin began, "Everything you've done here, everyone you dealt with -Lord Zash included- is insignificant.

"Darth Skotia has eyes and ears on Korriban." He continued, "He knows what your master is up to, and he is displeased, to say the least. On Korriban, Lord Zash may have her way, but on Dromund Kaas, it's a different story. So you see, you have to die."

Louise let out a low sigh, she did not want to have another fight, but he looked as if he was not going to back down, "Khem, I forgot… what do you do to Force-users?" She asked with half-hearted faux-confusion.

Khem turned and leered at the trio blocking their path, " _I consume them and spit out their bones._ "

"Um, Ortosin – is that a Dashade? Maybe this isn't such a good idea." One of the thugs voiced, cowering slightly.

"Yes, you are quite right." Louise said quickly, cutting off Ortosin before he could get a word in, as she slipped the bag off her shoulder and onto the floor, "And I, for one, have had a bad day. I had to fight the big guy behind me, kill a massive terentatek and tortured a prick who thought he was better than me. If you leave now, nothing horrible will befall you. If you do fight, I will burn you alive!" And with a simple snap of her fingers, she generated a fist sized fireball hovering just above her hands.

Her display got the desired effect at the thug fled the room with his colleague close behind, leaving only the two Sith apprentices and a Dashade assassin alone in the hall. Skotia's apprentice seemed to be second guessing himself as beads of sweat started to form on his brow. Instead of fleeing, though, he squared his shoulders and pulled his lightsaber from his hip, igniting it.

What followed was what Lyira would have dubbed a 'curb-stomp battle' as the moment the crimson blade of her would-be opponent's lightsaber sprung to life, Louise expanded the fireball and unleashed it upon him. Though, through the use of a Force barrier, he managed to negate majority of the fire and damage. Louise understood that an apprentice would not be stopped by a simple fireball, no matter how unorthodox, but it was a good enough distraction for Khem to get close with his sword.

Despite the distraction, Ortosin managed to dodge, giving him room to swing his blade at the giant… only to get intercepted by Louise's own blade. He tried to use the Force to give himself some room, but the combined power of the Assassin and the pink Apprentice managed to deplete the pushing power of his telekinetic blast. In reply to his failed attempt to make room, the duo ravaged his body with dual bolts of lightning.

Unable to defend against the combined onslaught, he felt to the floor, screaming in agony. This continued for a few moments until Louise noticed several Sith and acolytes arrived at the scene, wondering what the agonising screaming was about.

Louise, for her part, looked a bit startled at the attention she was receiving, which only increased when she noticed someone trying to get passed the crowd. Once they did get passed, she felt a weight well and truly form in her gut, "Apprentice, care to explained what you are doing?"

"I…" She took in a large gulp of air, trying to calm her nerves. "I didn't start the fight, Ortosin, th-"

"Ortosin? Darth Skotia's apprentice?" Lord Zash questioned, eyes narrowing as she cutting the Pinkette off.

"According to him, yes." Answered Louise.

"I assumed something like this would happen…" Zash's tone was colder than she had ever heard. Louise liked her Master, but she could be quite forceful and scary, "Leave him. I have finished up here, I think it is time we should leave to Dromund Kaas."

So, the trio left the Academy, leaving the severely weakened apprentice to clean himself up and the other Sith entertained. The walk was mostly in silence as Zash had ordered her to be silent until they arrived in a safe area. The only sound was Khem grumbling about not being able to eat the Skotia's apprentice.

Soon, they arrived at the familiar landing platform for the shuttle to Dromund Kaas. They entered the ship, quickly activating the shuttle and set off to the space station in orbit.


	14. (9) Welcome to Dromund Kaas

**AN: I hate having AN's at the top of a fic, it is anoying to me, but I have to have this one here for reasons. I Recived a PM from one of my lovely reviewers saying that they were sad that they got a notification about it updating, but nothing updated. Now, I've already cleared this up for them, but for the rest of you: The fic has updated, there is an Author's Note at the bottom of Chapter 1 that tells you what happened. Basically, I rewrote this fic, fixing up some of the problems you guys had... I also tortured Louise a bit more, but that's in the later chapters. You don't have to read through them all again, but you will miss out on the small changes earlier and the bigger changes that smacked my other readers in the face. I also thought, that because I was gone so long, it would be a catch up session as you guy's read it to catch up on the events that you had forgotten about.**

 **Now on with the show, a new chapter who had joined to group of chapters that tripled in lenght since the last time you read it! (seriously, 4K then, 12K now)**

* * *

 **Chapter 13 – Welcome to Dromund Kaas**

* * *

The landing ramp hissed open, extending into a walkway for the trio of Force-users to descend onto the station. The flight to the Korriban Space Station was uneventful besides Khem's constant shifting as he tried to find a comfortable seat, or Louise trying to appear as if she was one-hundred percent used to space travel. Zash had broken from her glower to give the two a mildly amused look.

Once off the ship and down the ramp, the trio headed off towards an elevator leading to the main body of the station. Luckily, Louise already had experience with moving platforms. When the doors of the elevator swung open, signifying their arrival at their chosen floor, Zash immediately spoke up, "Follow me, apprentice. There is someone I wish you to meet."

With that, Louise and Khem were lead to a large ashen grey man. Though, the most peculiar thing about him, were the pieces of machinery that covered his jaw, cheeks and some of his right eye, distinguishing the man as a cyborg. When Louise first heard of cybernetics, she felt a bit sick; the idea of replacing body parts with technology unsettled her and felt wrong. Of course, she did not mind if it was to replace a missing limb or something like that, but to purposefully replace working body parts did not sit well with her. She was just happy that the cybernetics were miniscule compared to others she had seen.

The cyborg wore grey robes that blended with his complexion, with a red sash around his waist being the only thing that really popped out, besides the cybernetics. A lightsaber at his hip signified his rank as a Sith. Before Louise had a chance to speak up, Zash introduced the man, "Apprentice, this is Lord Krillis."

"Lord Zash." he nodded respectfully, before turning to Louise enthusiastically, "It is my utmost pleasure to meet you at long last, apprentice. May you soon gain the honours you so well deserve."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Krillis." Louise greeted in return, though with nowhere near the same levels of enthusiasm.

"Yes, Lord Krillis here, is to help you with help train you. He will continue to train you in the ways of the Force and even the blade when I am unavailable, however, this doesn't mean I will not be there to train you myself."

"Thank you, master." Louise said, before turning back to Krillis, "I am ready to learn whatever it is you have to teach."

"Lord Zash did say you were a good student and a fast learner," He praised before turning his attention back to Zash, "I am ready to leave whenever you are."

"Then let's get going." Zash said, gesturing for them to follow her, "I have arranged a transport to take us to Dromund Kaas." The trio plus one then set off towards the hanger that led them to the transport, though a more round about route was taken at Louise's request. Walking along the outside of the station, the quartet passed several view ports along the way to the transport, before stopping dead at one of them.

Just outside the massive window, floating in the immense nothingness of space was the planet Korriban and some of the seven moons. A common sight for the Empire and even a few other factions, and one that seemed to lose its novelty the more time one spent in space, but for Louise, it was different. She continued to stare at the massive sphere that was Korriban, the band of dead red and brown capped by two white ice caps, with white clouds drifting with the wind. She could feel the intoxicating presence of the Dark Side practically gush from the planet's surface, wrapping its comforting tendrils around everything in the vicinity. However, the biggest thing she felt, was an overwhelming sense of awe and humility. _It's beautiful…_

"You look like you haven't seen a planet before" Zash noted, watching the pinkette with a critical eye.

"I haven't," Louise replied softly, a feeling of melancholy seeping into her. A part of her mind did not want to believe that she had spent any length of time living on that planet, battling both monsters and Man alike. A part of her did not believe that she was actually here; that she, Louise the Zero, was able to graduate the Sith Academy. That she had passed where others had failed, that she had lived while others had perished.

Louise guessed that there was a small part of her that believed what the likes of Zerbst, Gramont and Montmorency had said. How she was a Zero and would not amount to anything. The simple fact that she was now one of the few people to graduate the Sith Academy -intact no less- brought pride and joy to her heart.

"You… haven't?" Krillis questioned.

"No," Was all she said.

With that sobering scene out the way, the small group of Force-users restarted their journey to the transport.

...

After meeting an alien which looked like a hunched Chiss with a bloated head - _A Duros_. her mind supplied- the four-some were escorted aboard the transport that would be taking them to the Dromund System. The transport itself was docked to the space station, so no shuttle was needed. Something Louise was pleased with. Upon exiting the airlock and stepping onto the ship, the group found their path blocked by a few Imperials.

Upon nearing the conversing Imperials, Louise could make out what they were saying, "… the Captain that I'll be back on the bridge as soon as I've done his errand." Ordered a woman who's most striking characteristic where pale skin and dark eyeshadow. Her hair was put up into a neat bun that matched the strict look of her officer uniform which proudly displayed her rank: Lieutenant.

"Yes, sir." Replied a large bald man she was talking to before walking off to do whatever it was his superior ordered.

The Lieutenant then turned to fully face the Dark Siders, putting on a pleasant smile before greeting them, "Good to have you aboard. I'm Lieutenant Sylas, second-in-command of the _Black_ _Talon_ ; we're your ride to Dromund Kaas."

"I'm sure this ship will do wonderfully," Zash replied in an equally present way, "How long until we reach the planet?"

"Shouldn't be more than a day." The Imperial informed, "The _Black Talon_ makes this run on a regular basis without trouble. We're primarily a transport."

"Oh, that's marvellous news."

Sylas smiled, "I won't keep you any further. When we arrive in the Dromund system, I'll have you informed. In the meantime, your droid's in the conference room."

"That's intriguing, I don't think I have a droid." Lord Zash replied.

"Oh? The machine asked for you," Sylas explained, "so I assumed you were the owner. My mistake. In any case, it seems someone wants to get in touch. The conference room is down the hall; I'll be on the bridge." And with that, the Imperial officer left to go order around her subordinates, leaving a group of four confused beings behind.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to go see who wishes to talk to me so badly," Zash said eventually.

"It would seem so," Krillis added. Khem and Louise had nothing to contribute, so they stayed quiet and followed the two Sith Lords, not that the Pinkette and Assassin were not curious.

Just as the officer had said, the conference room was just down a hall and indeed there was a droid waiting for them. It was one of the more humanoid looking droids that the petite Pinkette had seen occasionally walking the halls of the Academy. A protocol droid, if she remembered correctly.

Clad full body in grey metals with fully articulated limbs and two glowing orange eyes, Louise had always thought they were slightly creepy in appearance. Upon entering the room, a holographic interface lit up on the droid's arm, unreadable data swirling on it, "Identity confirmed. Good day, I am advanced protocol unit NR-02." The droid greeted in a masculine synthesised voice, "My functions are diplomacy, translation, manslaughter and communications."

Louise, for her part, only widened her eyes marginally when it listed its third functions. _Really, what did I expect from an Imperial droid?_ She scoffed. _I'm surprised our mouse droids don't have built-in explosive… they don't… right?_

While Zash's apprentice was busy trying to figure out if mouse droids were mini-explosives, the NR-02 had continued speaking, "I have an urgent message for you from my master. Please stand by for delivery." As he said this, it began fiddling with its hologram arm, "This is unit NR-02 to Grand Moff Kilran. You are now in contact with Black Talon"

Suddenly a nearby terminal flared to life, tearing the attention of everyone in the room, a life-sized hologram of a man sprouted from its projector. The man had a bad scar across his face, as if someone had raked hot coals across it, not that it seemed to faze the man. He was dressed in an officer's uniform, but his rank pin showed that he was more than a simple officer. The hologram was of the Grand Moff Kilrand, or the Butcher of Coruscant in some circles. Louise felt a bit humbled and star struck in his presence; a mastermind of warfare and someone who did not hide his disfiguring scar.

"Well- so I am." The blue hologram said to the droid, "And it seems you've brought me just the group I've been looking for."

"Grand Moff Kilran, what a pleasure to finally meet you." Lord Zash greeted cheerily, "However, I must express confusion over what is going on."

"It's apparent I need another pair of hands." He clarified, "So I asked NR-02 to check the ship's passenger manifest. Six hours ago, the Republic engaged in an illegal border skirmish on the edges of Imperial territory. One enemy warship escaped. That warship, the _Brentaal Star,_ is carrying a passenger of vital strategic importance. Yours is the only vessel placed to intercept."

 _The Republic._ Louise mused silently. She had read up on them quite a bit, as did every single other acolyte. To say the least, she was not impressed. Supposedly, the Republic was run by a leader voted in by a senate of thousands of different worlds and cultures. Each leader would have a set length of time which they would rule, only to get replaced by a different leader. A chaotic and alien government that the Pinkette could not wrap her head around. Despite the good words of Sir Dorjis had given her, she felt that the Sith were right about the Republic and all the corruption that it spawned.

"This passenger the _Brentaal Star_ is carrying, who is it?" Zash inquired.

"The warship's passenger is code-named 'the General.'" He answered, "We don't know his identity, but the Republic believes he possesses military secrets. Our military secrets. I trust the reports: The General must be captured or killed. Captain Orzik, the man commanding your transport, doesn't agree with my enthusiasm. He's disobeyed my orders to attack. Feel free to show him what the Empire does to cowards. Then commandeer his ship, find the _Brentaal Star_ and deal with the general."

The blonde Sith appeared to be in thought for a moment, before a smirk grew on her face, "Grand Moff, while I might not be able to help you at this time, my wonderful apprentice would be a wonderful replacement."

Louise, who had, up to this point, been following the conversation with a slight curiosity, quickly snapped to attention the moment she was referenced, "Wait, what am I doing?" she asked. Though her protest seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"If you can trust your apprentice to finish this mission, that is good enough for me." The Butcher of Coruscant agreed, "Kilran, out." And with that, the hologram faded from existence.

"So… what am I doing?" The Pinkette repeated.

The other three Dark Siders gave he a look, "Weren't you listening, apprentice?" Her Master asked.

"No…well yes I was, I know what he said, but why am I doing this?" Louise replied.

Instead of answering her directly, the blonde Sith turned to the other Lord in the room, "Lord Krillis, wouldn't you agree it would be a great help to give her a taste of life as an apprentice?"

"Yes, it would." Came the approving reply of the cyborg.

"So, it's settled, then." Zash said clapping her hands together, "While Krillis and I get set up for the day's journey, you go deal with this however you want."

"Aren't you two the least bit worried about putting a transport up against a warship?" Louise voiced.

"Well, he isn't called the 'Butcher of Coruscant' for nothing." Piped Krillis.

"I can't argue with that." It was true, Louise had watched a holo of the Sacking of Coruscant at the Academy, and to say she was impressed was an understatement, especially when she remembered where he got those scars from. _Any officer who can hold off a boarding party of Jedi is deserving of respect._ She mused before sighing internally, "I'll do it."

"Good. Now, if you get in trouble, take this holocommunicator" Zash said, pulling out a disk-shaped machine which Louise took in hand." I have already set it up so you can contact me instantly, so you don't have to worry about that. As for your belongings, I will take them to our rooms."

With that, Louise passed her duffle bag to Lord Zash, before the droid spoke up, "I will lead the way to the bridge. Once Captain Orzik is deposed and our hijacking is complete, we may proceed to the _Brentaal Star_."

 _Let's get this over with…_

...

Guided by the murderous droid, Louise and her companion started on the path to the bridge of the ship, but before they could even get a quarter way there, they found their way barred by a group of Imperials and a force shield. Leading the blockade was a familiar face, not that the Pinkette actually knew who the man was. It was the same bald man who had been ordered to do something by Lieutenant Sylas.

"Halt!" He commanded gesturing for the two to stop, "My lord, this is a restricted area -Captain Orzik's command. You'll have to leave immediately."

 _At least I know I'm going the right way, but…_ Louise let out a low sigh. _Of course, something had to happen to make this trip difficult,_ "I need to see Captain Orzik, Lieutenant." She asked, noticing his ranking on his pin.

"Nobody is allowed passed until we reach our destination."

Again, she felt like sighing, "If you don't recall, there are two Sith Lords on this ship, I am one of their apprentices and I was ordered to meet with your captain." Louise explained tiredly, "To disobey me is to disobey my master, and to disobey her is to disobey the Empire. You **_will_** stand aside." And with that she waved her hand, reaching out with the Force as she tried to substitute his will with hers.

The officer's eyes glazed over slightly as he said, "I will st-" Suddenly, his eyes cleared, his hand reaching down to his blaster pistol, "not stand aside. Our orders were to treat any approaches as an attack." He and his men all drew their blasters, aiming it at the duo. Khem, as fast as ever, had reached to his blade, but Louise gestured for him to stop.

With her hand on her saber, the Pinkette narrowed her eyes and asked rhetorically, "Even if this brands you a traitor to the Empire?" The Pinkette had a feeling that if she failed to convince the man, blood would be spilt, and she would make sure it was not hers. "Contact your superiors."

Luckily, the man seemed to have some sense in him, as he lowered his blaster -not that his men did- and pulled out a holocommunicator, a short beam of blue light burst from the top, solidifying into a grainy image of a bust of Lieutenant Sylas, "Apologies for the disturbance, but the Sith Lords are requesting a meeting with the Captain. I tried telling them to wait until we arrived, but they're threatening us with treason."

Sylas made to say something but paused as she heard someone else chatting on the other side of the hologram. The raven-haired officer nodded at something out of view, and turned to the bald Lieutenant, "Send them up."

Louise released a breath she did not know she was holding in as the Imperial ended the holocall, and turned to her, "Apologies for the hold up, my lord. Go on through." He pointed to one of the armoured guards behind him, "You there, escort her to the bridge!"

"Yes, sir!" The Imperial soldier exclaimed, standing straighter, turning to the Pinkette, "If you will follow me, my lord."

The walk to the bridge, while short, was filed with lamination. Louise had felt anxious during the talk and especially after it, the thought of how close she was to a fight unnerved her, especially as she walked through the halls of the ship, noticing all the soldiers would have had to fight.

"I apologies, but where is Lord Zash and Krillis?" The Lieutenant the Pinkette had seen upon entering the _Talon_ asked, greeting Louise as she walked up to the front of the bridge, "I was under the assumption they would be joining you."

The bridge was a wide-open room split in two, with a raised dias for the captain and his men, and a lower half for the other Imperials controlling the ship. On the lower half, there were various terminals and holographic interfaces that shared data with the officers with a large open table close by that functioned as a map. At the very front of the bridge, was a massive window that gave a wide view of the expansive inky blackness of space.

The bridge was less populated than she had anticipated, but it was not devoid of life at all. A few Imperials were working away at the terminals, and on the dais, she could see five other officers, one being Sylas and the other three being unknown.

"They sent me to deal with this," The Pinkette replied, "Now, which one of you is the captain"

"I'm Captain Revinal Orzik;" Greeted a crisp looking blond man dressed fully in Imperial officer regalia, including the fancy hat, "I assume you are here because of Grand Moff Kilran?" He asked grimly.

"Yes, Captain." The Apprentice confirmed, "He told my master, who in turn told me, to hijack this ship and attack the _Brentaal Star_. I don't want to waste imperial lives, so please make this easy on me."

"The _Black Talon_ will be destroyed if we go chasing that battleship." He pressed, "I fought in the war before, and I'll fight again, but I don't do suicide missions."

"It doesn't need to be a suicide mission." She argued, "We just need to get in, get the General and leave. If all else fails, we have two Sith Lords on board."

"I'd admit that they would be useful, but even then, I might be able to get us close, but then you'd have to board it, fight an army of Republic soldiers and somehow find the general. It's unacceptable." He said resolutely.

"We don't have a choice!" She cried exasperatedly. "Grand Moff Kilran gave us his orders, and I'd prefer not angering my master, nor do I think you would enjoy what the 'Butcher' would do to you for disobeying."

Despite not showing it, she knew that the man did not think lightly of what the Butcher of Coruscant would do to a traitor, "…Alright. I'm not ready to be branded a traitor just yet. We'll get the General. I'm not sure how, but we'll get him." He said, looking not the least bit enthusiastic.

"We'll take care of the General, you keep the ship together." Replied Louise, hiding her apprehension she felt over this mission, "And thank you… for not forcing my hand."

"You're welcome, I'll do my best to remember that."

"Downloading new orders to all bridge consoles." The droid cut in, "Priority one intercept the _Brentaal Star_."

"You heard the droid, everyone. Prepare to jump to hyperspace."

Louise could barely make out an 'oh, no,' before the ship lurched forwards uncomfortably as the stars seemed to become streaking lights in the black aether. She was informed that the _Black Talon_ would arrive in an hour or so, which confused the Pinkette for a moment, as she wondered why a Republic Warship would be so far in Imperial space. Louise spent the hour she was given, to go back and inform Zash of what had transpired, as well as making sure she was ready for whatever was to come. Her master seemed pleased with her work so far.

Once she returned, she did not have to wait long until they exited hyperspace. The star lines dissipated, and the ship came to a halt a distance from a large Republic warship shaped vaguely like a hammer.

"Emerging from hyperspace now. One Thranta-class warship on the scanners. Powering up-" As one of the officers on the dais spoke -an Ensign- as hundreds of red bolts of plasma coming from the Republic warship, came hurtling towards the transport.

Louise did not have time to vomit or anything else as it was in this moment, the full extent of what she had been ordered to do by her master hit her. _I'm fighting a war_.

The Cold War, and war in general, had always been something of a distant thing for Louise. Sure, she had heard of somethings about the current war the Empire was in, even meeting her Jedi friend was the fault of the Cold War, but she had never actively participated in it. So, finding herself on a ship being fired upon by the Republic was quite the jarring experience for the little Sith.

She could hear the Captain barking orders to his men as they, in turn, kept him informed of the battle, but she could not move, just stare up at the massive ship floating in the view ports, firing down on them. It was only when one piece of dialogue managed to pierce her ears that she was pulled from her paralysis. "Sir, three shuttles on an intercept course!" The female ensign shouted.

"An assault party." The Captain concluded, "We don't have sufficient defensive to keep them from landing."

"My Lord, we need your assistance," Sylas said.

Nodding numbly, she replied, "I'll deal with the borders."

"This course of action is deemed advisable." Advised the droid.

The Captain seemed to agree, "Security will meet you at the entrance to the shuttle bay. Defend the ship at all costs, and we'll get you to the _Brentaal Star_."

Gravely, Louise turned around and marched out of the room, stopping only to ask a guard to escort her to the shuttle bay. Their impromptu guide led them to an elevator, which would supposedly lead them directly to the bay.

The elevator ride down was filled with anticipation, almost all of it from the Dashade Assassin beside her, his blade already in hand ready to strike. Louise, on the other hand, felt anxious as she fingered her lightsaber and blaster cautiously. Yes, she had fought against multiple armed opponents before, but murdering the soldiers maddened by the Tomb of Marka Ragnos was not very boast-worthy. This was her first true battle in a war, not even a day after she graduated.

Eventually, the elevator stopped, a ding heralded their arrival, and soon the doors slid open, revealing a firefight in the hallway. Imperials were pinned down, most of their men killed by the boarding party, but they were holding strong.

The second the Republic soldiers noticed the newcomer on the scene shouts and curses filled the air as almost all their blasters were focused on her and her companion. It was only quick thinking and the Force that saved her skin as she quickly dived out the way, activating her saber, and parried their bolts back at them.

Khem, being the juggernaut he was, parried some of the attacks, but otherwise smashed into the enemy line with a ferocity she never saw before. Five of the soldiers were dead within the first few seconds of Khem's appearance.

Louise, though, was not content to just let her companion do all the work, and with a flourish of her lightsaber, set to work thinning the numbers of the Republic's men, whether with her blade or the Force. The Imperials, invigorated by the appearance of the two Force-sensitives, joined the fray fiercely.

The two Dark Siders, leading a small, yet ever-growing army of Imperial soldiers, began to push back the surprisingly large number of boarders, until they reached the massive shuttle bay. Upon entering the bay, she found the three Republic shuttles along with the ship's four Imperial shuttles. One was already destroyed while the others seemed intact. A large gathering of Republic troopers were scattered around the room, some taking up cover behind creates or debris from the recently destroyed shuttle.

More shouts and jeers filled the air as the Republic soldiers noticed their visitors, and then the fire fight began. Khem bellowed out a taunt she could not hear over the sound of blaster fire, swinging his blood-stained sword and charged in, swinging his blade masterfully as he decapitated, bisected and otherwise dismembered anyone who stood in his way. She could feel his enjoyment festering as the battle waged on. And just like an infestation, the blood knight's delight spread amongst the other Imperials, and even Louise herself.

The Pinkette leapt across the battlefields, her saber making quick work of anyone who dared get close, but for those who were too far, she sent bolts of agonising lightning at them. One even tried to block her beam of hate incarnate, only to realise that electricity and vibroswords don't mix and promptly lost his hands in the resulting explosion.

Humans and Aliens alike fought defiantly against the Empire who cut swaths through their men, but ultimately, it proved fruitless. Soon, their numbers were down to ten, then five, then none. The _Black Talon_ was not without casualties either. The final assault on the shuttle bay ended with at least seven Imperial deaths, but that was only the final battle. Many more Imperials had lost their lives, and Louise's heart went out to them, but she could not stay to help the Imperials, as a voice called out on the intercom, "This is the Captain. If you can hear this. We need you on the bridge."

It was at a brisk pace that the two Dark Siders returned to the bridge, still running off the battle high. The Ensign from before seemed to be giving a damage report to the Captain when they reached ear shot, "Damage reports from all decks. We're holding together, sir. But I don't know for how long."

"Make it last, Ensign." Ordered Captain Orzik, "Don't let us down."

Upon reaching the front of the bridge, the duo were heralded in by NR-02, "Please stand alert. Grand Moff Kilran's representative has returned."

The Captain smiled upon seeing her and her companion, "I see you took care of the Republic assault. Welcome back to the bridge."

"Thank you, Captain. Let's hope we can get through this quickly." She replied.

"Yes. We've survived the first wave of attacks from the _Brentaal Star_. Things will be calm until we enter fighter range; another minute, maybe two."

Suddenly, another Ensign spoke up, exclaiming, "Transmission coming in! Long range… it's a message, but it's not from the _Brentaal Star_."

A frown set itself on Orzik's face, "Patch it through."

To the right of the bridge, a bulky cylindrical contraption hummed for a moment before a blue light shone from the top, forming a holographic image of a human woman dressed in clothing that differed from any Imperial or Sith outfit she had seen; a green sleeveless tunic made from something that reminded Louise of leather, and elbow length gloves with similar tough material on the arms. Long armoured boots that reached up to her midthigh covered black tights, and a lightsaber could be seen at her hip. Her short black hair was styled in three braids, the largest hanging at the back of her head, and the other two framing her face, similar but different from Louise's own hairstyle.

She would have thought she was a Sith Lord just because of the Lightsaber, but that conclusion did not sit well with her at all. But, she need not wait long for the identity of the woman to be revealed, "This is Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan hailing unidentified Imperial vessel."

Louise's reaction was not obvious to anyone not paying attention to her, but her eyes blatantly said what she was thinking. _Putain de merde!_ She was quite pleased that reading minds was a difficult ability to learn and that nobody else spoke her native language. Had she said that in the presence of a queen or princess, a scandal could break out.

Oblivious to the Pinkette's shock, the Jedi continued, "I'm en-route to your location with sixteen Republic vessels. I'm asking you to retreat before more lives are lost."

There was a pause in the conversation before Louise realised that the Grand Master was talking to her, specifically. _This is just kriffing wonderful!_ She mentally seethed. _What's next? My monthly blood comes early?_ For a second, she felt like a fish floundering on land, before she cleared her voice to address the Jedi with what she hoped was a tone of respect and confidence, "We are not looking for a fight, Master Shan, the General is our only concern."

"The General has a part to play with the Republic. Incidents like this are happing across the galaxy, but only because we let them." The Jedi lectured, "I just crippled three imperial dreadnoughts. I don't wish to destroy you. The peace between the Republic and the Empire is fragile enough already. Leave the _Brentaal Star_ to me. If you don't, then may the Force be with you, because the men and women aboard that ship can hold you off until we arrive. And you will be defeated."

Louise felt the Jedi's words shake her to the core, but kept it from showing in her appearance. She did not have anything to say to that, and the Jedi looked ready to end the conversation, but before she could, something popped into the Pinkette's mind, "Before you go. I would like to make a request."

The Grand Master's eyebrows raised curiously, "A request?"

"Yes. There's a Jedi Knight by the name of Quorian Dorjis. Tell him, Louise wishes him well." She asked, before quickly barking at the Ensign, "End transmission." With that, the hologram died.

That conversation itself was more tiering then any of the battles she fought in today, but it seemed the galaxy did not wish to give Louise a seconds peace, as one of the Ensigns shouted, "Captain! We've entered fighter range. The _Brentaal Star_ is launching its first squadron."

"It's time for us to do the same. I assume you'll lead the boarding party to go after the general?" Captain Orzik asked.

The Pinkette nodded, "Whatever's necessary to end this quickly."

"I promised you my help. So, I've ordered one of my men to lead the attack, they will inform you of where you need to go." He explained, "There's one other thing, I brought you some supplies from the cargo bay. Someone on Dromund Kaas may be disappointed when they don't receive their delivery, but I thought our situation took precedence."

Looking over her shoulder, she saw two soldiers lugging a large container towards them. Thankful and a little curious as to what she was being given, the Pinkette walked over and inspected the container before gesturing it to be opened. Upon opening the crate, Louise could not stop her lips from twitching. Inside the box was some pieces of armour and weapons that looked very promising, and then… her eyes fell upon what looked like a Heavy Repeating Assault Blaster; a large weapon that usually took two hands to wield with any efficiency as it was quite difficult to keep such a weapon steady as you are unleashing an unholy barrage of plasma at your enemies.

She had to physically stop herself from reaching out and grabbing it. She knew that she could use it, even two at the same time, quite effectively no less. The sight of her boarding the _Star_ with an assault blaster in both hands, mowing down numbers countless with a maniac grin on her face was a fantasy that not many people could live, but she could and the desire to do so was strong. Nevertheless, she stayed her hand. A small part of her feared that it would prove a distraction and she would end up with her flesh flash burned.

So, Louise only took what she needed; that being a pair of Imperial vambraces, boots, grenades and some blaster ammo. "Thank you, Captain." She said, clamping the vambraces onto her arm, and adjusting the size to fit her slender hands. The grenades were clipped to her belt, along with the ammo and the boots would be put on when she got to the shuttle.

"We're all doing our best here." He replied.

"I advise that you proceed to the shuttle bay." Recommended the droid, "The flight to the _Brentaal Star_ may be hazardous, but Grand Moff Kilran has complete faith in your abilities."

...

Louise and her companion once again headed down to the shuttle bay, where they saw that the Imperials were still recovering from the bloody battle. Quite a few times the Pinkette had to adjust her footing for fear of slipping on blood or limb.

 _Such a mess, Khem._ She scolded mentally, it would not due to actually voice her annoyance to the death machine still covered in flecks of blood. He looked to be admiring his work, and Louise would have joined him, had she not needed to wade through it all.

Eventually, they arrived at the one intact Imperial vessel. A gathering of able-bodied Imperials stood ready and waiting for the duo. Leading the team was the bald Lieutenant she had seen when she first arrived, and who had accosted her when she tried to speak with the Captain. _I should probably learn is name…_

However, now was not the time to get friendly with the men. When her presence was noticed by the Lieutenant, he ordered everyone to board the ship.

Once aboard the ship, Louise got to work replacing her boots with the armoured boots she was given. While a bit big, she adjusted them to fit snuggly. Her old boots were put away for safe keeping. As she did this, the Lieutenant went on to describe the plan of action, "Listen up men," He barked, demanding the attention of all on the shuttle that shook as they flew towards their target, "We're heading aboard the _Brentaal Star_ in search of a man known as the General. We are to help apprentice Louise with apprehending this man for the good of the Empire. However, our main goal is to make sure she and the General can get back to the _Talon_ …"

Louise eventually tuned the man out, only barely listening to get the gist of what was being said, she was less worried about what the Imperials were doing than getting this mission finished quickly. Worry filled her as she recalled what the Grand Master had said. She really did not want to fight the legendary Satele Shan, and she feared facing a Jedi of unknown calibre. But as any good Sith did, she used that fear to try and make her stronger. Nervous fidgeting was calmed as she started to delve into the Dark Side of the Force, her breath slowed and deepened. Though, she was not blind to how her meditation was effecting her men with her, as they were effected in vastly different ways. Some calmed, others twitched. It was a fascinating display to the Pinkette. And soon enough, they arrived at the _Star_.

The hull rocked and shuddered as blaster fire hit the ship as it came into land, but the small weapons fire did very little damage to the actual ship. The landing ramp swung down and the entry door opened, allowing the boarding soldiers to file out of the ship, throwing covering fire at the Republic defenders. Once Louise and Khem exited the ship, they got to work defending the rest of the men.

Volleys of blaster fire came flying to and fro, as men on either end died, though it was obvious that the Republic had the short hand of the stick as the Pinkette and her Dashade deflected bolts back at their enemies. Louise, paranoid about taking too long, soon leapt at her foes, dodging and deflecting plasma, and sending lethal lances of lightning at her foes.

Khem, not one to miss out on the fun, soon joined but took on a more aggressive stance as he began to paint the floor red with his blade.

The Republic's men were decimated in the attack, allowing the Empire to strengthen their footing in the shuttle. Soon the only remaining Republic troopers were dead on the floor or injured. It was about this time that an odd beeping started emanating from Louise's belt. A quick look and she found that it was her holocommunicator.

Curious as to why her master was calling, she activated the little device, but instead of a bust of Lord Zash appearing as a hologram, it was a bust of NR-02, "This is protocol unit NR-02. I hope you're receiving this message clearly, and that your flight was free of incident."

Louise did not show her surprise at the droid contacting her on her holocommunicator; it was a droid, it was possible he sliced her contact address. So, she got to the point, "What's the issue?"

"I have been scanning the _Brentaal Stars_ communications and security forces appear to be moving to protect the escape pods" The droid informed, "It's extremely likely that the crew is attempting to evacuate the General. You must retrieve or eliminate him before he escapes."

She nodded, "Will do."

"Excellent news. I'll be in contact if the situation changes. Proceed to assault all defence points between you and the target."

Once the hologram died away, she turned to the gathered group of imperials, "I need one of you who knows the layout of these ships to guide me to the escape pods." She asked, making a mental note to learn the layouts of the ships herself. She hated needing a guide.

"That would be me, my lord." A female soldier spoke up, decked out in full Imperial armour with a blaster rifle in hand, "I've studied the Republic ships inside and out. Unless this is a new model, we should have no problems."

"Good. Let's go."

...

Room after room, the Pinkette, her Dashade companion and their guide were met by Republic resistance, but it was quickly beaten back as the two tore through their enemies and their guide picked off the stragglers at a distance. Every room they passed was soon occupied by a small group of Imperials, one that only grew with reinforcements from the Talon, flying in on the remaining Imperial shuttle.

Their guide informed them that they were one room away from the escape pods, but before they could open the door cutting them off from their path, the sound of metal screaming pierced the air as the door malformed. Worry filled the Pinkette's heart as she tried to open the door, but it would not budge. Something or someone had damaged that part of the door. Their path was barred unless they could get through the door.

But luckily, their guide and the other Imperials had an idea, "If we create a big enough explosion at a weak point of the door, we could blast a big enough hole in it."

So, they got to work. Louise used her saber to create a weak point in the door, as the Imperials gathered all the grenades and explosives they had on hand. Once they were satisfied with their works, they hid behind cover as one of them activated the detonators.

Five seconds seemed a lot longer as she waited for the explosion to go off, but when it did, it was a force to be reckoned with. Once the dust settled, the results showed themselves. A gaping hole in the corner of the blast door, big enough for two Khem's to fit through.

Together, they entered the last room, expecting resistance, but instead found majority of the Republic troopers hiding far at the back, near the escape pod. The only thing stopping their way was a green Twi'lek dressed in a long brown robe. The most nerve racking thing about said Twi'lek, however, was the glowing emerald lightsaber, held carelessly in hand. _A Jedi…_

"Halt where you are." The Jedi commanded, "I am Yadira Ban, Padawan of the Jedi Order. I was sent to protect the General and you shall not pass."

Louise felt a small part of herself elate at the news of the Jedi's rank. She honestly thought she might fight a Knight or Master, but instead, she was going up against a Padawan learner, "I am only here for the General." She said in the least threatening way possible, "Hand him over, this does not need to end in blood."

"I cannot accept that. A Jedi does not surrender the innocent into the hands of _evil_." Louise flinched back at the venom the Jedi had used, and the words themselves. She had been called quite a few things in her life, but never evil. It was new and unheard of. She did not know how to properly feel about being called such. Sure, she had been called a monster by Ffon when she was torturing him, but she honestly did not care what he said, as long as he screamed. But being called evil by someone she did not even know was an unexpected blow.

"But I intend to draw you back, meter by meter if need be." The Jedi continued, "Just as the Republic pushed the Sith Empire into the dark of the galaxy."

The Sith apprentice's eyes narrowed dangerously. Louise did not want to kill the Jedi, not because she cared or anything, but for her Jedi friend. However, the Twi'lek was making it difficult. She might not have been born to Sith history or culture, but she felt it was all the same, "I have had a bad day, and you're only making it worse. If you do not surrender the General, I _will_ use force, and you will not enjoy it."

"I hope one day you'll see beyond your selfish desires. But I cannot be the one to teach you."

"Khem, eat her." She ordered before anyone could attack.

" _With pleasure, pink Sith_." And with that, her monstrous companion charged at the Jedi, his sword ready to bisect the poor Padawan. Unfortunately, the Jedi had training and could parry and block quite a few of the Dashade's attacks.

Then chaos broke out. The Republic troops came out from their little corner firing their bolts of plasma at them, and the Imperials returned in kind. While this was happening, Louise began slicing through the republics, deflecting enemy fire back at them and diverting friendly fire towards the Republic.

Soon, however, Louise saw her chance, and with a quick dash to her target, she impaled them through their back, using her off hand to rip the lightsaber from the dying Jedi's hand, before leaping back at the diminishing Republic's numbers.

Soon, the sound of blaster fire died down… along with the rest of the Republic soldiers. However, noise still revolved around the room, mainly the shouting of Imperial soldiers as they pointed their blasters at a severely injured man. His attire was not Republic, but closer to that of an Imperial, and part of his face was covered in machinery, signifying in cyborg statues, "You can put aside your weapons, I won't try to run." He said, proudly despite his injuries and the men surrounding him, "Besides, I doubt I'd make it to an escape pod without my intestines spilling out."

"You're the General?" She asked, walking towards the man surrounded by Imperial men, "You've been a pain to both me and Grand Moff Kilran."

"Kilran? Of course, he would have the gall to send a transport to take on a warship… and succeed." The General coughed, a quantity of blood pouring out, "I was a general in the Imperial military service. Did they tell you that when they sent you here? Did they even know?"

The revelation was new to Louise, but it did not help her opinion of the man, "So, you're a defector. A traitor."

"If you knew what I know, you'd understand." He lamented, "If you'd heard what both sides are plotting, you wouldn't be eager to restart the wa-"

"I'm not eager to do anything of the sort, General." Louise hissed venomously, her patient completely spent, "I was hoping for a relaxing time on a transport to Dromund Kaas. I have had a terrible day, and I wouldn't mind if it could just end! I have no ambitions of restarting a war. I am rather fond of the cease-fire we are currently in. Now, come with me, I am taking you to the ship and don't bleed out."

...

The walk- no, it was less of a walk, and more of a scurry back to the ship was quite stressful on the tired Pinkette. She wanted to keep up the appearance of a Sith Lords apprentice, but she also wanted to get off the warship as fast as humanly possible. At the same time, she had to deal with the limping General who's measured steps grated on her nerves. She understood that he was injured, but at the same time she wanted Khem to carry the man back to the ship.

Luckily, whether for Khem, her or the Generals sake, one of the Imperial soldiers seemed incensed by the Generals pace and roughly pushed the man forwards, ordering him to walk faster. Had it been proper, Louise would have thanked the man right then and there, but instead she continued to push forwards. Soon, they arrived at the shuttle and quickly boarded it and set off back to the _Black Talon_. There an odd event happened as Khem went on to complain about her stealing his kill. After the ship had landed, the soldiers Immediately took the General off to Force knew where, and she headed off to the bridge, feeling the ship lurch halfway through her journey as it entered hyperspace.

Once Louise reached the bridge, she heaved a sigh of relief. She had never thought that the streaks of light that were common place with hyperspace travel would be as comforting as they were now. The Pinkette had no idea what she would have done if the Grand Master had shown up. As much as Louise had faith in her, Khem's and the two other Lords' prowess, she did not think they would have been able to survive the Grand Master and whatever army of Jedi she could scrounge up. The stories she had read about the respected Satele Shan were more than enough deterrent for the diminutive Apprentice.

Rubbing her eyes, she straightened her posture like she had been drilled to do in her youth, and headed up to the front of the bridge. Her steps were heavy from exhaustion, but otherwise, she tried to keep it from showing anywhere else.

"Well, the hero of the day returns." The captain greeted, smiling exuberantly. Louise could not help it, and her lips quirked into a smaller more tired smile. The rest of the crew also greeted her with praises which served to lighten her mood, "My men have taken the general to the medical bay where he will be patched up, then straight to the brig," he continued, "Congratulations, I never expected the mission to go off this cleanly."

Louise was about to answer, but another voice beat her to the punch, "Yes, my apprentice is quite wonderful, isn't she?" Lord Zash praised, walking towards the front of the bridge with Kahn in toe.

"Master." The apprentice replied, inclining her head in a small bow. _Now you show up._ She thought, mentally rolling her eyes.

"Ah, Lord Zash. Welcome to the bridge."

"Excuse me, captain, but Grand Moff Kilran is eagerly awaiting her report." The male Ensign interjected, "Shall I put him through?"

Before the captain could give the order, Zash cut in, "Yes, I wouldn't mind hearing this report as well." She said, "Put the Grand Moff through."

The Ensign nodded, "Opening channel now."

The next second a hologram of Moff Kilran flashed to life above the holoprojector, "Well, how fortunate that I could reach my friends aboard the _Black Talon_." He hailed, "The droid's been keeping me apprised of your work, but I very much wanted to hear from you?"

"Only a few problems cropped up;" Louise said, "the boarding party, the Padawan aboard the ship, and Grand Master Satele Shan hailing us. But other than that, we finished the mission without losing too many men."

"Excellent, I'll let Korriban and Imperial Intelligence fight over him. You should be proud." He commended. Somehow, Louise felt that giving the General over to the Sith was possibly worse for him then straight up killing him. _Oh well._ "The General was one of the greatest weapons the Republic had -a defector!- and you've snatched him from enemy hands. I'll remember this, and I'll make sure you're rewarded, but my words hardly matter. Soon, you'll be joining us on the homeworld and you can see for yourself what you've been fighting for. It should be inspiring. Enjoy the rest of your journey. Kilran, out." And with that, the hologram died.

...

Soon after the conversation with Kilran, the group of Force-sensitives were told that the estimated time of arrival to the Dromund System was more or less a twelve-hour period, something the Pinkette was immensely grateful for. With that, a few more congratulations were given and the Sith were bid good-day by the captain.

Louise was about ready to sprint to her temporary quarters for some much-wanted shut eye, but it was not meant to be. Lord Krillis all but dragged her off to his own quarters to discuss her further training. With reluctant resignation, Louise followed, as did her Dashade assassin.

Once inside the cyborgs quarters, Krillis got to business. "Normally," he began, "I would test your skills in the different parts of both the Force and Lightsaber combat, however, as you look ready to drop, I will make this quick. As you undoubtedly know, there are several castes of Sith; Warriors and Inquisitors, each with their own sub-castes, Marauder and Juggernaut for Warriors, and Assassins and Sorcerers for Inquisitors." As Krillis said this, she nodded along, having known about this early into her training, "You were trained under the Inquisitor, mostly by choice of the Sith who found you, and from there you progressed, but now you must make a choice. Will you follow the path of the Assassin or the Sorcerer?"

Briefly, she looked over to Khem Val, who was seated over in a corner in a brooding manner. Louise already knew which of her options she was going to choose, but any more information could not hurt. So, she asked, "What can you tell me of the two castes?"

"The Sorcerer follows the path of the more mystical parts of the Dark Side, learning things like Sith Sorcery and Alchemy," Krillis lectured, "whereas the Assassin is more combat orientated. Both still use the Force, but in different ways, for example, an Assassin might conceal their presence to attack an unsuspecting target, while the Sorcerer would prefer to destroy their enemies with pure Dark Side energy. In most cases, the master has watched the apprentice for long enough to know which caste would benefit them, but you are an odd case according to Lord Zash; from what she tells me, you wield a lightsaber like a Warrior, but also bends the Force like an Inquisitor. She noted your use of pyrokinesis, an unusual power that isn't practiced by most Sith or Jedi alike."

The pinkette fell silent as she processed what he had said, "Only one?" she asked.

"It is Lord Zash's wish that you choose." Explained the Sith, "Your choice will help decided whether or not it will be I, or another who will teach you."

Louise nodded once again, and answered with, "I wish to be a Sith Sorcerer."

"Wise choice." He replied.

The Pinkette could not help but give him a questioning look, "Why is that?"

"There's a reason I am an instructor instead of something else." Said the Sith Lord, "I have a knack for reading my students and knowing which path they should take, and you chose the right one." He paused, "Well, enough of that. I think it best for you to go get some rest. We'll begin your training on the homeworld. You're bunking with your Master, are you not?"

"Eh, yes. Thank you, Lord Krillis." With that, she got up and walked out the door, stifling out a yawn. Khem, as always, was following closely behind. Thankfully, her room was only down the hall, so the trip was not overly long.

Upon entering the room, she found Zash reclined on one of the two beds in the spacious room, still dressed in her robes but without her boots. She looked to be on her datapad, doing something, but ultimately, Louise ignored her, casting a longing look at what she assumed was her own bed. Doing away with her boots, weapons and utilities, she was about to collapse on her bed, but something stopped her.

An exasperated sigh escaped her lips. With education on the mind, she felt compelled to bring up the subject, "Master?"

"Is there any reason as to why you are disturbing my study of the map?" The Sith Lord asked, dipping her datapad.

"I… wanted to talk about my continued education."

"I am assuming that Lord Krillis is unable to assist you?" At Louise's nod, she continued, "Anything, in particular, you want to ask?" Zash asked, shifting into a more formal sitting position.

"I wish to learn Sith alchemy." Louise requested formally, "There are a few things that interest me."

"Sith Alchemy? Not my main specialisation, but I have dabbled in the art… what parts interest you?" The Sith asked.

"I wanted to create a Sith Familiar." The diminutive acolyte said, her tone slipping into nostalgia, "The creation had interested me since the beginning of my training at the Academy."

"I am… hmm, not familiar with that?" The Sith said, slightly disgusted by the pun she was forced to make.

"It is a creature created by Sith alchemy. It acts like a catalyst for the alchemist's Force powers and is bound to its creator through the Force." Louise explained, "The only problem is that I haven't practised or trained in Alchemy, it is difficult and costly to create. So, if allowed, I would like to start learning Alchemy."

"Hmm… while I could teach you, I see it in your best intentions to learn from another." Said the blonde Sith, soon pausing in thought, "When we arrive at Dromund Kaas, I will send you the details for a Darth who would be delighted to learn from someone like you."

"Thank you, master."

"Think nothing of it. Though if you don't mind, I wish to get back to my studies…" The Sith Lord said, picking up her datapad for emphasis.

The Pinkette nodded mutely again, turning back to her bed before she collapsed onto her bed. The second her head hit the bed, she fell asleep.

When she awoke, nearly a full nine hours later, she found her room devoid of life… well, besides the ever present Khem who looked to be brooding off in the corner with datapad in hand. She scrambled around with the blanket that she did not remember ever covering herself with, she pulled herself from her bed. Despite how tired she felt, her sleep was not a comfortable one, she tried recalling her dreams, or nightmares, but could not recall a thing.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she looked around and found her duffle bag sitting right next to her bed. After a quick stretch, she slung the bag over her shoulder and began walking out the door to find somewhere she could get changed, "Wait here, I'm going to get changed." She ordered just in case the Dashade decided to follow her into the washroom or something.

The Assassin did not even lift his head when he responded, " _Yes, pink Sith._ "

Once out of the room, she asked a nearby guard to show her to the washrooms, which to her caring, was at the other end of the ship. _At least it's not on another floor._ Passing the sliding doors leading to the bathroom, she set her bag down and quickly went to answer nature's call. After that, she got changed out of her outfit into her other pair of robes, brushed her teeth and cleaned up her bed head.

Pleased with her work, she walked back to her room, finding that Khem had not moved from his seat. Deciding that she wanted a break from anything apprentice related, she sat on her bed and began staring at the Dashade intently. It was a few minutes later before she decided to say something, "Khem, what're you doing?"

" _Researching,_ " Came his gravely reply.

"Things must have changed since you were put in stasis." She noted.

Khem grunted, " _The glorious Sith Empire has fallen since Tulak Hord ruled._ "

"I managed to uncover one of his holocrons for my trial." Louise said, "He hid it in what would be Marka Ragnos' tomb, and for a thousand years nobody could open it."

" _You think too highly of yourself, pink Sith._ "

Louise pouted in response, "I'm just trying to make conversation."

" _You should not have brought me here, pink Sith._ " He groused, turning around and putting the datapad down.

"To Dromund Kaas?"

" _No. You should have left me alone on Korriban,_ " Explained the Dashade, " _You may have bound my will, but such bonds can be broken, and make no mistake; I will devour you._ "

Her pout twisted to a scowl, "It's not my fault! You attacked me of your own free will! None of this would have happened if you chose to help me on my trial; you would have been free to do whatever you wanted, then. But no, you just had to attack me for no good reason! Anyway," she continued, "if we're unlucky, Darth Skotia will try to kill us again. You can devour anyone who stands in my way."

"Am I interrupting something?" The amused voice of her master called out from the doorway.

Louise felt her spirit rise as she did not startle at the sudden voice and appearance. A quick glance between the Assassin and her Master and she replied quietly, "No, master."

"Oh, good." Zash said in her usual cheerful mood, "Now, the _Black Talon_ will be arriving in a few hours, so get ready."

Once the Sith Lord left, Louise turned towards the Dashade "Anything else?"

" _I will continue to serve you faithfully… until the bond is broken_."

Louise let out a low groan. While she never claimed to have the power of prophecy, Louise just _knew_ that the Khem was going to be a handful in the future. The rest of the time on the _Talon_ passed by as the Pinkette tried to do something productive with her time, most notably, her usual workout and playing around with the Force as she examined the three lightsabers she now owned, one orange, one red and one green. It was then that the Pinkette realised she might start a collection; the spare parts would be useful if they got damage anyway.

Soon, the transport exited hyperspace, a sensation the pink haired girl was gladly getting used to. Slinging her bang onto her shoulder, she and her Dashade left their room to meet up with Lord Zash and Krillis in the hanger bay. From there, they took a shuttle down to the jungle planet of Dromund Kaas below. It was only when she was halfway down to the planet, did a stray thought wiggle into her mind. _I left my boots on the_ Talon _._

Her fear of embarrassment kept her from saying a word, but her cheeks did flush suspiciously.

...

Upon arrival at the spaceport near Kaas City, they immediately disembarked the shuttle and began the process of checking in at the arrival stations. Whilst Zash and Krillis checked in, Louise and Khem looked around and took in the massive room that was the spaceport. They both watched as someone being accosted by two Imperial Guards, donned in what appeared to be an advanced version of the armour she had seen around the slave compound. The second thing they noticed was surprising, to say the least.

Marching towards their general direction, with his head raised arrogantly high was a Sith Lord, flanked by two trandoshan bodyguards. Louise had never seen a real trandoshan before, only in holograms or pictures, so seeing one up close was an odd scenario, especially considering that they were basically humanoid lizards with scaly yellow skin and large reptilian eyes. She felt uncomfortable in their presence.

The Sith Lord, on the other hand, looked as if someone tried to meld a protocol droid with a human then dressed them in red and grey armour. Either the man was in a terrible accident that had destroyed most of his organic parts, or he really liked cybernetics. The latter made her feel sick.

The enhancements seemed to cover him from head to toe, with pieces of machinery showing up randomly on his body. Even one of his eyes was replaced by cybernetic enhancements. Suddenly, one of his bodyguards started hissing in its native tongue, pointing a clawed finger towards Zash, then Louise. " _My master! Isn't that the golden-haired lord, and her toy, the pink-haired apprentice!_ "

"Quiet bodyguard. Save your hissing for your own kind." The Sith demanded, glowering at both Louise and Zash, "If it isn't Zash and her pet; you made a mockery of Darth Skotia's apprentice, slave. Darth Skotia is not amused."

Louise wanted to be anywhere but here as she watched her Master join the group and glare at the Sith Lord with equal force, "I assume you would be 'unamused'." Zash sneered, "Tell me, what happened to poor Ortosin?"

"That is no business of yours," He spat, "Darth Skotia knows what you are doing, and you will not continue. Darth Skotia has his eye on you, and Darth Skotia knows. Darth Skotia knows what you are trying to do here. You and your little slave have gotten this far, but it ends here. Darth Skotia alone has the key, and you will only get it over Darth Skotia's rusting dead body. Now get out of Darth Skotia's way." And with that, the hulking man-machine shoved passed Zash and Louise, off to wherever he was going, ignoring the hate filled glare burning into the back of his head, courtesy of the blonde Sith Lord.

Louise, confused as to what just happened, asked the more important question, "Who was that?"

"Darth Skotia," Zash spat the name with a ferocity the Pinkette never knew the blonde Sith had.

 _He talks in the third person?_ She though briefly, chuckling, before recognition struck, causing Louise to ask, "Wasn't he the on-"

But before she could finish her question, Zash silenced her with a raised hand, "Let's go, Apprentice."

Louise, not wanting to earn the ire of her new master and die a horrible death, silently followed the Sith out of the spaceport where they then took a speeder to Kaas City. Not even Krillis said a word.

...

As they hovered over the jungle landscape of Dromund Kaas, the Pinkette could not keep her eyes on one thing. Constantly, her eyes jumped to one thing to another as she absorbed the landscape she found herself in. It was a stark contrast to Korriban's desert-like plains, with large dark trees that dotted the landscape, gloomy storm clouds above and a vast array of terrifying fauna. Looking up at the overcast skies Dromund Kaas was known for, the petite Pinkette silently hoped for rainfall. It had been a year since she had last seen rain, and she missed the smell that came with the rain.

The speeder soon arrived at the main entrance to the capital of the Empire, and grand it was. _Kilran was right, this is inspiring_. Behind the massive walls that split the wilds and the city, were skyscrapers which littered the area with many walkways on both ground level and above. Louise knew that nowhere in Halkeginia could even come close to the intricate designs of Imperial architecture.

However, she could not properly soak up the atmosphere as the speeder passed by much of the scenery and off to their destination, the Citadel. A large spire-like complex donned with a massive banner with the Empires sigil. The building, especially against the backdrop of eternal storms, looked more menacing than any other building Louise had seen during her yearlong stay with the Empire. The building was said to be home to the Emperor; just from the sheer dark presence she felt from the building, the pinkette was under the assumption that it was true.

Once the speeded had landed on one of the few landing pads set up just outside the building, the four Dark Siders hopped out of the craft and headed into the building. Lord Krillis, knowing it would be unwise to continue sticking around, gave the Pinkette his contact details and headed off to another part of the complex, leaving Louise to follow a seething Zash to the latter's office. An office that looked much the same to the one on Korriban, minus the massive Sith banner behind the main desk.

"Damn Skotia!" The Sith Lord spat upon entering the safety of her own chambers, "He dares threaten us in broad daylight! Trying to intimidate us, no doubt. The wrenched monster. More machine than man, and dangerously powerful. Ever since I arrived on Dromund Kaas as an apprentice, he's made every effort to stand in my way."

" _He is flesh,_ " Said Khem, " _He can be killed._ "

"Well, not really…" Louise retorted, trying to lighten the mood, "He looked more like a droid than anything else. An ugly one at that."

Lord Zash's lips quirked, "Off topic…" she said, though it was clear that she found humour in what had been said, "Ultimately, we cannot even begin to search for Tulak Hord's ancient power with Skotia's rattling breath down our neck."

"Uh… what ancient power?" Louise asked, thinking that she might have missed some important information somewhere in the conversation.

"Oh, yes, I apologise, Apprentice." Said Zash, seemingly realising something she had forgotten, "I am getting ahead of myself. Do you remember the star map you brought me?"

"Yes."

"Well, according to the map, there is an ancient power Tulak Hord hid away." She explained, "I don't know exactly what it is, but from what I read, it will be a great boon to us both. We will be the ones to find it, not that we could with Skotia." The Master ended bitterly.

"So, we can't find this power..." The Pinkette trailed off, waiting for the 'but'.

"Not necessarily, my young apprentice." Zash said smirking devilishly, "I already have a plan for what we… or rather you, can do. You are going to kill Darth Skotia."

Louise tilted her head in confusion, an artificial smile plastered on her face to hide her confusion and shock, "I'm sorry, but my hearing must be going," She said, "I thought you said that I will be killing Darth Skotia."

"I did." Her master replied with barely contained glee.

Louise opened then closed her mouth multiple times, doing a great impression of a fish. _"_ What…"

"You're not a Mon Calamari stop acting like one." Chided the blonde Sith.

"You. Want me. To kill. Skotia." Louise said slowly.

Zash sighed, "I thought we already went over this."

"B-but… but… he's a… he's a _Darth_!" The petite Sith sputtered, "I couldn't possibly kill him!"

"Exactly!" Zash said as if it explained everything, "That simple fact is the genius of my plan. Brazen power plays make the Dark Council nervous, but nobody will believe that a mere apprentice could defeat, no less kill, a Darth. It's impossible, and that's why it will work!"

Louise scrutinised her Master's face, searching for any sign that, what had just been discussed, was a joke. But no, her master was serious about sending her up against someone with similar ranking to a duke or archduke. That was when it became alarmingly obvious that she could not, in fact, back out of it. She was forced to obey her master under penalty of death… or torture. _I miss the simplicity of being an acolyte._ She whined internally before sighing in resignation, "I am trusting you to not get me killed."

"Oh, stop being so melodramatic." Came the Sith Lords amused rebuke, "if there was a high chance of your death, I wouldn't even be considering this -I didn't wait a year just to kill my apprentice on a pipe dream. You don't have to worry, the plan won't go into effect immediately, we're waiting on a few things to fall into place. Until that time, Krillis and I can train you." She explained.

Louise nodded sullenly not happy with her second mission as an apprentice, "That's a bit better."

"Good. Now, there are two more things I wish to tell you." Lord Zash continued, "The first is simple; I have acquired you an apartment nearby for you. The building is often used by apprentices, so it does have some facilities that cater to training. I will be sending you the location to it and the codes to enter your room. Finally, I managed to pry myself away from my books long enough to look into a suitable teacher for your Alchemy studies. There's a Darth that I am in good graces with who would be pleased to teach an aspiring alchemist. I will also send you some information about that as well."

Despite the previous topic, Louise beamed, "Thank you, my Master." With a bow, she left her master to plot the down fall of her superior. Only to stop just outside the room once she realised what she had just thought. _What even is my life anymore?_ She whined, before shaking her head and heading to the landing pads.

Upon boarding a skycar, her datapad beeped, signifying a message. Quickly checking it, she found all of what Zash had promised; one document supplying the location and codes for her apartment, and another for information on her alchemy teacher. However, instead of opening any of them, she was overcome with a feeling to explore. So, she quickly ordered a flight to a close by district.

During their flight, Khem, who had been quite besides his comment inside Zash's chambers, spoke up, " _The witch reeks of death. Just give me the order and I will devour her_."

"Who?" was Louise's only reply. She really had no clue to who he was referring to.

" _The blonde Sith, your Master. She reeks of death. I will devour her if you order it._ "

"W-what? No, please don't kill my master!"

" _I don't trust her._ " He groused.

"She has been nice to me."

Khem Val did not respond right away, only doing what she assumed was a sigh and hanging his head in his hands, " _You are no Tulak Hord, naïve pink Sith._ " He grumbled, " _It is an act._ "

Louise paused in thought, "Do you think she is a danger to me?"

" _Yes._ "

Louise baulked at the blunt confirmation but nevertheless filed away what her companion had said, making a mental note to go over it in the relative safety of her new apartment. Then another question came to mind, "What of Skotia? Do you think we could really take him on?"

Khem's reply did not give her any confidence, " _It is strong; stronger than you._ "

"Do you think you could eat him?" She asked seriously.

" _As the Witch had said, it is more machine than man. Bad for digestion._ " He answered, his mouth twitching slightly. Louise, however, did not notice as she was too shocked by the fact that Khem 'I will eat you eventually' Val, had just made an attempt at humour. She just could not take it; the entire thing was so absurd that she just began chuckling uncontrollably. While she did this, the Dashade just looked on, worry evident in his eyes, but the Pinkette did not care; she needed the laugh. And it was in that moment, Louise resolved to somehow win Khem over.

Soon, the skycar descended, allowing the duo to leave the confines of the machine and out into the large city of Kaas. The stroll through the city was a pleasant experience for her, as she could now soak up the ambiance. The architecture and people were so different, yet similar to what she had experienced in the Valley of the Dark Lords and her homeworld. The Capital of Tristain had boasted wides streets, but could not compare to Kass City. Years before, she would have criticised the dark and foreboding atmosphere, but now, when she could feel the Dark Side radiating from the very air, she was of a different opinion.

As Louise continued walking, she soon found herself in what looked like a market place. Several stalls were set up selling their bits and bobs, though from the looks of the people, they were either old, disabled, aliens or non-Imperials. Curious, but not willing to buy anything until she had settled in, she began meandering around, occasionally looking at some interesting pieces. Suddenly, a familiar presence pulled the ex-mage from her window shopping.

Frantically, she began looking around for the source of the presence, only to freeze upon finding her. There, across the way, was Lyira. Her old roommate seemed to be looking at some of the wares presented by a female Chiss. Her former roommate wore a dark, tight dress made from a silk like fabric that complimented her crimson skin and her hair seemed to have grown down to her shoulders. Other than that, she looked much the same as she remembered, but Louise could not deny that she looked much more attractive since the last time she saw her. But then the memory of the last time they had seen each other came to mind

Filled with the emotional turmoil that she felt on that day, she ordered Khem to stay put before marching, as silently as ever, up to the oblivious raven-haired woman. Once she got within two feet of the Sith, she stopped and waited for Lyira to turn around. Fortunately, she did not have to wait long, as Lyira quickly realised that someone was behind her. As she turned around to confront whoever it was, Louise's palm struck her across the face.

It was at this moment, Louise regretted her choice of action -not the slapping part, no, but the part where she forgot to take into account the bone protrusions that some Sith were born with. So, while Lyira nearly toppled over with the force of the slap, the Louise curled up, holding her bleeding hand as she cursed like a sailor from the White Iles.

"Louise!?" Lyira yelled in shock, "Why!?"

"That's my line!" Louise shouted back, blinking back the tears that were most defiantly from the injury and not anything else at all.


	15. (10) Sith Alchemy for Dummies

**AN: _READ THIS_ : Okay. For those who did not know, I am not answering Reviews on this fic so if you have a question, either log in/sign up or go to either Spacebattles Forum or Sufficient Velocity Forum (Note, you will have to sign up for these as well) where this fic is also being posted. Also, there is a TV tropes page that I would not mind help editing with.**

 **Chapter 14 – Sith Alchemy for Dummies**

* * *

"Why did you slap me!?" Lyira shouted hysterically.

"Oh, what did you expect me to do!?" Louise replied sardonically, waving both her hands around as droplets of blood splattered to the ground, "'Hi Lyira, what wonderful weather we're having this morning. Reminds me of the day you kissed me then bolted to a completely different planet without saying a word!'"

Lyira had the decency to look a tad sheepish, "Perhaps this isn't the best place to be talking about this…"

"What? Too many ears!?" The Pinkette shouted, drawing more attention that they had before. Despite it being not nearly as populated as the markets in Tristain on Void's day. She could tell some were nervous about the two arguing Sith, "Once again, I have to travel somewhere else before I can get any information. Where shall we go then?"

"I have an apartment."

"Fine," Louise grumbled, "Khem, you can come now!"

Confused, the Pureblood asked, oblivious to the hulking mass that was stalking up to them, "Who's 'Khem'?"

" _What is it, pink Sith?_ " Asked the Dashade upon nearing the group.

Louise watched in satisfaction as her former roommate jumped at the newcomer's voice, only for her face to twist into a mixture of shock and surprise as she realised who had once again snuck up on her, "… a Dashade…?"

"Khem, this is Lyira. Lyira, this is Khem Val. He's a Dashade who is now honour bound to me." The Pinkette informed.

" _I will-_ " He began, only to get cut off by an annoyed Louise.

"Not in the mood." She said briskly.

"Is there something I'm missing?" Question the raven-haired girl.

Louise's reply was short and stiff, "No. Let's go."

The three left the frightened vendors to conduct their business as they stalked off to wherever Lyira's apartment hid. As they walked, Louise began unwrapping the bandage on her left hand so it would work as intended as she wrapped it around her cut right hand.

It was when they stood directly outside the apartment complex that Louise realised that they were once again living under the same roof. Not that it was too surprising as it was often used by apprentices who do not have permanent lodging. It was so famous for housing Apprentices that the building catered especially to them with its own lesser form of an imperial guard.

The building, much like everything else built by the reconstituted Empire, was made from metal with varying shades of grey. Technically, it was more than one building, made up of four large, spire-like buildings set up in a triangle with the largest in the centre of it all. Sheets of darkly tinted glass signifying the separate apartments glistened as the occasional lightning strike lit up the sky as a storm started to form from the omnipresent clouds above. And walkways, some bare, some domed in glass connected each of the three buildings to the central at varying intervals up the tall buildings, creating a spiral like pattern.

Lightning struck one of the many metal poles the tower sported, startling the Pinkette much to the amusement of Khem and Lyira whom she was still angry with. Shrugging off the comments, the trio walked into the central building and took one of the many turbolifts to about mid-way up the building before walking across a, thankfully, domed walkway. After a flight of stairs going down a floor, they eventually arrived at Lyira's apartment. Louise was just happy that they building came with a downloadable map.

"Sorry for the long walk, you wouldn't believe how long it took me to find my apartment when I first got here." Lyira piped up, standing in front of a wider-than-normal-door with 'TB-F45-4' written in High Galactic across its centre, "Well, here it is. My abode for the foreseeable future."

With a flourish of her hand, she pulled a small card from her belt before plugging it into the control panel before the door slid open revealing a wall with another door. To her right was a standard wall with an Imperial banner hanging from it, but to her left, was the actual room. Passed the small entry way that was squished between the mysterious room and the entry door, was a large square room, with two wide windows covering the walls in the corner opposite her.

It was a sparse room, with a dining table nestled in the windowed corner, and what looked to be a lounge hidden by the corner of the mysterious room. Along the entry way wall, was a small hall that gave entry to two small rooms. Beyond the hall, were two other doors.

Following Lyira into the apartment, the Pureblood began listing off the other rooms. "The Kitchen, with its own utility droid," she said, pointing to the room facing the entry, "Main and guest bedrooms," she said pointing to the two doors along the entry wall, "and the toilet and bathroom," pointing down the cramped hall.

"It looks nice."

"Yeah, I am pretty sure that every other apartment looks the same, so…"

Before she could finish what she was saying, someone familiar popped out from one of the bedrooms, "Who'd you invite over?" The blue Twi'lek from Korriban asked, looking at Louise and her companion.

"You've met Vette," Lyira said, gesturing to the Twi'lek, who had, much to Louise's relief, no shock collar on her neck.

"And you must be Louise. I've got to say, you're one of the most recognisable Sith I've ever seen." Vette said cheerfully, eying Louise's pink locks, "Didn't even know they grew people with pink hair."

"It's nice to meet you too." Louise replied dryly, before noticing that the Twi'lek had lost interest in her and was now focusing on something tall behind her, "Yes, that's Khem Val, he's a Dashade."

Vette was looking at the Dashade curiously, until a spark of recognition ignited in her eyes, "Weren't you in that tomb of that dead Sith?"

" _I have been told it was the tomb of Naga Sadow,_ " Khem replied.

The blue twi'lek looked blankly at the Dashade, "… I don't speak Dasahde."

" _Ignorant girl. I-_ "

"Don't call her ignorant, it's not her fault she doesn't speak Sith." Lyira scolded.

Before the conversation could devolve any further, Louise quickly shouted, "Could we not get into an argument about languages! I'm still angry with you."

"All I did was give you a little kiss," Lyira said meekly.

"You shoved your tongue down my throat!" The Pinkette shouted back.

"Okay, I think I will be going now…" Vette said, turning around and heading to her room. Only to stop as Khem followed her.

" _I do not wish to listen to the lover's quarrel. I will go with._ " The Shadow Killer said, despite knowing that Vette did not understand him. Together, the two companions left their respective Sith to argue it out, only to curse when they realised that the two Sith's muffled voices could still be heard through the walls.

"It was my first kiss!" Lyira yelled, "I didn't know what I was doing."

"It was my first kiss too! Did you have any idea what you put me through!?" Louise shouted back.

"…no."

Louise growled in annoyance, "… why did you do it?"

"… isn't it obvious?" The Pureblood asked, a bit startled at the obliviousness her visitor was showing.

"No! You kissed me then left!"

"You really don't know what that kiss meant?" She pressed, looking put out.

"Of course not! Do you think I would be acting like this if I knew!?" The Pinkette ranted, tears coming to her eyes, "My best friend just ups and kisses me without a word, then leaves me for the next month! I was distraught, I had no… I had no idea…" She trailed off, feeling spent.

"I…" Lyira mumbled something under her breath, her eyes looking anywhere but at Louise.

"I can't hear you."

"I… think I like you."

"If you liked me, then why did you kiss and ditch me!" Louise replied annoyed, "Doesn't seem like something a friend would do."

"No… I mean… I love you." Lyira blurted out.

That stopped Louise in her tracks, as she stared dumbly at the Sith, "I… wh… what?"

"I love you," Lyira repeated, a little more nervously than before.

"You… love me?" Louise asked recoiling from the utter shock she felt.

"Of course, what do you think a kiss means!?" Lyira shouted back, her expression one of hurt.

"I… I didn't know…" Was Louise's stammered reply.

"How couldn't you know!" She yelled.

The Pinkette flinched back guiltily before rearing back up, "You already know that! I was the pariah on my homeworld! Who would even think to date me, the _Zero_!?" Louise spat, subconsciously grabbing the brand, "The boys wouldn't have anything to do with someone with my body, and the girls made me their verbal punching back!"

"You're not a Zero, at least, not to me."

"How am I even meant to go from that!? How am I even meant to react?" Louise asked.

"I don't know…"

There was a long pause as both girls looked around the room, looked anywhere but each other. Louise had no idea what to do, she cared for Lyira, she truly cared for her but there were too many things going on in the Pinkette's life; she had to train with Krillis, learn Alchemy and above all else… prepare to kill Darth Skotia, "Why does this have to be so complicated?" Louise mumbled eventually

Lyira grunted noncommittally. They delved into silence once again.

"It's okay, Lou… it-"

"It does matter, Lyira." Louise said, cutting the green-eyed girl off with an embrace, "I care about you, but too many things are going on at the moment. Could we go back to being friends? Come back to this later?"

"When is later?" the Pureblood asked dejectedly.

"I don't know…"

The silence returned as the two continued to hug in the main room of the apartment, but they both knew it could not last. Louise soon broke off the hug, telling Lyira she needed to go. Once she collected Khem, they left the room. With heavy steps, she and Khem searched for their apartment 'TC-F27-3'. Once they did find it, they entered and got settled in. The entire apartment was similar in make to Lyira's, though it seemed inverted in some way.

Before she could get anything done, however, the tell-tale sound of a door sliding open alerted her to another being's presence in her apartment. Her hand shot to her lightsaber just in case it was an assassin or something of that sort, but it was not meant to be; walking out of the kitchen was a simple droid. Humanoid in appearance, but the extra set of arms showed that it was more of a 'hands on' droid with a very boxy and pragmatic design, "Greetings master," the droid spoke in an androgynous voice, "I am 3E-55Y, this apartment's personal housekeeping droid."

Louise stared at the droid for a moment before making a small 'oh' sound.

"Is there anything you require me to do?" The droid asked, "Unpack your belongings, prepare a meal? Just ask and I will accomplish the task to the best of my abilities."

"No, thank you," Louise replied tiredly.

"I will wait in standby mode in the kitchen. If you need me, do not hesitate to call." And with that, the droid wobbled back into the kitchens.

Shrugging at the oddity, Louise turned to Khem, "I'll be in my room. You're free to do what you need."

Not waiting for her to response, she turned and headed into the bedroom closest to the windowed walls. It was much smaller than the one on Korriban, but Louise could see the reasoning why it was like that. What the room lost with its cramped conditions, it more than made up with the view; the entire left wall was a large window that gave the Pinkette an uninterrupted view of Kaas city. Not only that, but there was an actual wardrobe which she promptly filled with her clothes and personal items.

Louise spent the remaining day moping around her new room, shifting from laying on her bed to watching the skycars drift by in the window. She felt lost, confused and horrible.

* * *

The next day, Louise woke still feeling the same melancholy she felt the day before. Not only that, but her sleep had been restless. She felt absolutely terrible for what she had said and done to Lyira. The image of the Pureblood's hurt face sent pangs of guilt corseting through her body. Khem had been no help, not that she even tried to ask the giant. But Louise knew that she could not just mope around all day, so, she pulled out her datapad and looked into the information about the Darth who would be teaching her Alchemy.

Darth Paracelsus. A well-known Sith Lord who has spent his entire life dedicated to uncovering the secrets of Alchemy, even going so far as to alchemically enhance his own being. He was not one to play the power games of other Sith, so he did not have much of a power base, other than those who respected him. According to the information, Zash sent her, he would be found at the Alchemist Hub.

The Alchemist Hub as a large complex dedicated to the study of Alchemy in all its forms, and so, it was kept quite a bit away from Kaas City, off in the jungles of Dromund Kaas. Louis supposed it was understandable, considering some of the creatures that alchemy spawned.

So, that was why Louise was currently existing sky car an hour away from Kaas City, the Alchemist Hub towering above her in all its glory. The Hub was a pyramidal building built with four spires in each corner. Atop these spires, and the pyramid itself, were statues of famous alchemists such as Sorzus Syn and Karness Muur. The outside of it was coated in stone bricks reminding her of Korriban tombs, but it still had its own unique feel.

Deciding not to spend the rest of her time outside, especially as it looked to start raining, the pinkette followed a dark and dreary path leading to the building proper. Once inside, the theme of the building flipped completely around. Instead of continuing the same stony tomb designs on the outside, silver walls and dark ivory floors filled her vision with bright white lights brightening the room. In the centre of the, admiralty small, room was a scraggly old man who looked as if he had better days. He seated at a clean desk with a personal terminal and a little flower pot sitting on his desk.

Getting closer to the front desk, the ageing man snapped to attention, "We don't get many visitors up this way. Do happen to have an appointment?"

"Um, I think so. I have a meeting with Darth Paracelsus."

"Just a moment." He said, beginning to type away at the terminal.

Louise did not mind the wait and began occupying herself with examining the room. It did not take long before something odd caught her eye, that being the plant inside the flower pot… it had teeth. It was then that she noticed that there was a small shimmering static light surrounding the entire pot and plant. A plant with teeth encased in a force shield. _And now it's moving_...

"Yes," the aged man said, bringing the attention of the Pinkette away from the plant which was currently trying to bite through the force shield, "It was a 'gift' from one of the Darth's who worked here. Apparently, I offered excellent service in my old job." He continued, sounding the least bit pleased at the show of affection he had been given, "Now, before we continue, I need a confirmation of identity."

"Okay."

"Name?" He asked.

"Louise." She answered.

"Age and date of birth?" He asked.

"…Eighteen." She answered again, but unlike her previous answer, she felt a minor wave of disappointment wash over. Her birthday had been a few months ago, and she had missed it. The entire event had passed her mind, not that it was ever a priority to begin with, especially considering it fell two months after... the event in Ludo Kressh's tomb.

While Louise was mulling over her lost birthday opportunity, the receptionist was staring at her with a dull expression, "… date of birth?"

Pulled from her musings, she said, "Which one? My birthdate in the galactic standard calendar or my homeworlds?"

"Galactic standard would be fine." He replied in a bored tone.

"Second of the ninth." She answered, watching as he turned back to the terminal, typing away until he had finished whatever he was doing.

"Okay, Apprentice Louise," he said, "I've sent you the directions. Darth Paracelsus is waiting for you."

A digital chime sounded from her datapad, rang his words true. Pulling the pad from her hip, she scrolled through until she found the directions sent. With a distracted 'thank you' she set off down into the bowels of the Alchemist Hub to find Darth Paracelsus.

Down two tubolifts, up a flight of stairs, one wrong turn and another tubolift later, and the Pinkette had _finally_ found Paracelsus office, who's door slunk open showing a room that reflected much of the same interior design the rest of the Hub. The room was spacious, with a desk off in a corner, and quite a few display cases and holocron's taking up the rest of the room. The display cases held quite a wide variety of things from organs to dissected creatures to skeletons and, strangely enough, weapons and armour. It gave the office a cluttered atmosphere like she had walked into an, admittedly bright, ancient shop filled with mystical wears.

Darth Paracelsus, himself, was seated at his desk… snoring. Upon noticing the sleeping Darth, she had already turned around, ready to hightail it out of the entire complex, lest she suffer his wrath. But before she could, a voice spoke drowsily up, "Don't leave on my account."

Louise's blood froze at the masculine voice. Slowly, she turned the speaker. There Darth Paracelsus was, at his desk a sleepy expression marring his features. Sickly pale with light, almost platinum, blond long hair pulled back into a loose ponytail and a square beard around his chin stretching to his sideburns. He was a middle-aged man, in his forties if Louise was to guess, dressed in a long dark grey robe. He was… sagely, like one of those wizened old men that would help the hero in fantasy books. But the one off putting thing about him, was his crimson eyes. So unlike every other Sith she had seen, and so unnerving.

"If I were to hazard a guess, I would say you are Louise?" He said questioningly as he pushing himself up from his desk and moved closer to the Pinkette.

"Yes, my lord," she replied, bowing in his presence.

"So you must be that new apprentice of Lord Zash." The Dark Lord commented, "Well, this is the first time I have ever seen an apprentice who would dye their hair bring pink… and contacts for that matter."

Louise sighed internally. _I guess I am going to have to get used to this_. "It's natural, my Lord. Both are."

"Really? How odd." Paracelsus said, an expression of interest replacing his tired look, "Well, you are not here to have your appearance scrutinised… Lord Zash informs me that you want to learn the art of Sith Alchemy? People usually come to learn Alchemy -much like anything else- for a reason. What is yours?" The Sith Lord asked.

Louise took a breath then said resolutely, "I wanted to learn how to create a Sith Familiar."

"A Sith Familiar? Quite obscure… and rare for that matter." Said the Sith, "What's your reasoning for creating one?" He pushed

Louise sighed, before telling him, "On my homeworld, when those with the Force reach a certain age, they partake in a ritual to bind a creature -cat, bird, frog or any other beast- as a familiar. I was... taken... before I could bind anything." She paused thoughtfully, "I spent so many nights researching, looking at the history of the ritual, the animals that could be bound, the complex nature of it... and it all amounted to nothing."

"Hmm… I can see your reasoning, but I must ask: why not bind a creature here? I mean, there are several ways we could acquire you something to bind as a familiar." He explained, "It would be much cheaper than creating a Sith Familiar. I surely wouldn't mind learning this ritual, myself."

"I would if I could, but I am afraid it would be for nought. When I was taken, I was in the process of binding a creature... it failed spectacularly," Said the Pinkette, "I also don't have the right items to bind, and I doubt we would find them anywhere in the galaxy. So, I decided that creating a Sith Familiar would be a good replacement."

"Well, I am always happy to see another eager to learn my art." He said, "Nevertheless, the biological side of alchemy is much more difficult than, say… creating a Sith Sword or a translation amulet. As such, you will be starting there."

"I am willing to learn anything that can help reach my goal." She replied humbly.

"Good, good. As of right now, you will be learning theory, for the most part." Paracelsus continued, walking back over to his desk before pulling out a small box from one of the draws, "In this box, you will find a few different datacards. Do not give them to anyone." Paracelsus said, handing the box to her, "In these, you will find a rundown on several aspects of Alchemy. It will give you the basic information on the different sciences that are involved and the basics of how Alchemy works. We will not be doing any practicals until you have learned everything in these cards. Not only that, but I have also given you my personal holocron. _Don't lose it_." he warned.

"Thank you." She said, bowing again, the box held tightly to her chest.

"Come back once you've finished researching them. I will begin teaching you the blacksmith's trade, once that is done, we'll begin your training proper." He informed.

"Blacksmith's trade?" Louise asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Darth Paracelsus sighed, "Blacksmithing, while may be an old and archaic in this era, is physically and mentally demanding," He lectured passionately, "You need focus and discipline to forge armour, or a sword, more so if you want to craft something small or something with a lot of detail. This is also a test to see if you have the temperament to use alchemy; that being, patients and an attention to detail. Now, hurry along and get started" With that, he turned around and headed back to his desk. Louise took that as a sign to leave, and leave she did.

As she walked, the box still clutched close to her chest, the realisation that she would be learning how to create a Sith Familiar bore down on her. Finally, after an entire year, she was close to creating the one thing that had been plaguing her for over two years of her life. A feeling of giddiness overwhelmed her as she began to pick up speed, wanting to get to the apartment and begin researching as fast as possible.

* * *

It had been a week since Louise had come to Dromund Kaas, and Lyira had not seen the Pinkette besides their confrontation on day one. Honestly, she felt hurt by that act, thinking that petite Apprentice had simply become too estranged to the idea that her friend loved her in such a way.

 _It's not my fault I love_ _her!_ Lyira fumed. During the first few weeks, the Pureblood was content with the companionship Louise provided, but over time it changed; she loved it when the Pinkette would talk adamantly about Sith Sorcery -something the Sith had no skill for- or her determination to learn how to properly fight with her fists. Lousie would stare into the face of adversity, and adversity would flinch back.

But the Pinkette was not always this strong willed girl. During the nights, Lyira would wake up to the sounds of tossing and turning, desperate calls in an alien language. And Lyira would always come down from the top bunk, and sooth her. Whispers of comfort and a caress of the cheek would end some nightmares. Others, worse ones, would require more. Her scared expressions, ones she hid from the galaxy, would mould back to serenity.

How could Louise not have known that someone loved her?

But that all changed when the Dashade -Khem Val, if she recalled- showed up at her door unexpectedly.

Apparently, the day after getting to Kaas City she met up with a Darth Paracelsus who gave her instructions to begin learning Alchemy and soon became consumed by her work. Every day and every night, the Pinkette would just be researching, only taking time to go and freshen up, eat and to go to the loo.

So, here Lyira was, standing outside of her crush's apartment with the Dashade Shadow Killer behind her. Using the code Khem had given her, she opened the door and walked into the main room. It was quite easy to spot the Pinkette as she was collapsed over the dining table with several texts -some Louise's own if the flowy script and alien language was anything to go by- and a holocron which was currently glaring down at the passed-out apprentice.

"Oh, finally!" the holocron's gatekeeper, a sagely old man, cried, upon noticing the other occupants in the room, "I applaud her drive, but this is just too much…!"

Lyira ignored the holocron's ramblings, using the Force to close it as she moved closer to Louise. Dark bags could be seen plain as day under her eyes, as she drooled on the table. She twitched in a way the Pureblood would have considered adorable, but at this point, she was more worried than anything.

"Louise?" she cooed, trying to gently wake the Pinkette, "Louise, wake up?" Lyira began trying to shake the girl awake, soliciting a cute moan from Louise as she tried to reposition herself to a more comfortable position.

" _I will get a cup of cold water._ " The Dashade spoke up, already making a move towards the kitchen.

Lyira snapped around, glaring at Khem, "You will do no such thing!" she hissed, before turning back to Louise. _How am I going to wake you up…_ She stood in thought for a moment, before an idea popped into mind. _Well, if it's good enough for Rayne, its good enough for me_. Carefully, she drifted her hand closer to the girl's nose, before pinching it shut. _Now we wait._

It did not take too long for the effects to make themselves known, as in a few seconds the Pinkette began flailing around, gasping for air. That was when Lyira let the poor girl go. Louise then spent the next minute recovering, glaring at the raven-haired intruder, "Lyira!? What was that for?" she breathed.

"I've heard you've been neglecting your heath," Lyira said simply, ignoring the girl's glare.

"I have not! I've just been researching." She denied.

Lyira gave the Pinkette an unimpressed look before asking, "Khem, what has she been eating?"

" _Cheap nutrients packets._ " The Dashade supplied, " _She commands the droid to get them._ "

The Pureblood's green eyes bore into Louise's pink, "And you say you're not neglecting yourself."

"They're nutrients packs, they have the nutrition I need," Louise replied petulantly.

"No, they are for emergencies." Lyira replied coolly, "One a day to stay alive, and five a day to be healthy. And how many have you been eating a day?"

"… two."

"That's it!" She shouted, "You, miss, need to get a proper sleep-"

"I was until you woke me up!" Zash's apprentice whined.

"No, a proper sleep… in your bed. And before that, a good healthy meal," Lyira ordered, "Tomorrow, we will be going out for the day."

"But I need to study!" She cried, "I can't just go out for no reason."

"Then we'll have a reason," The Sith Pureblood replied, "Those clothes look a bit tight on you, we could get you some new ones."

"It's not my fault they're shrinking."

"Umm… they're not shrinking… your growing." Lyira explained somewhat awkwardly.

There was a clear pause as Louise's sleep addled brain processed what had been said. Lyira could almost see the gears working until the Pinkette understood and when she did, the response was surprising, if not amusing, "What!?" She shouted, jumping up from her seat, looking at Lyira with expectant eyes.

"Calm down," Lyira replied, recoiling from the sudden reaction.

"I'm growing?" she asked, an odd expression crossing her features.

"How could you not tell?" _By Chaos, how could you not tell!_

"You try having the body of a thirteen-year-old for four years!" Louise shouted back, but from what she could hear, there was no malice or aggression in those words, just barely hidden excitement, "Just wait, I need to check something."

Louise, with surprising energy, rushed from the main room into the bathroom where a few seconds passed before a shout was heard clearly from said room, "J'ai des seins! Comment n'ai-je pas remarqué!"

The next second Louise -sans upper clothing- came running out of the bathroom with an expression of pure ecstasy, "J'ai des seins!" She shouted, jumping up and down, showing off exactly what had grown in all its jiggly glory, "J'ai des seins!"

Lyira could feel heat come to her cheeks as Louise speed towards the green-eyed Sith, picking her up in a tight hug with surprising strength as she continued to shout in gibberish. Pressing her mounds into the Purebloods abdomen.

In the background Khem, with his head hanging in his hands, left to his bedroom muttering something about Tulak Hord.

Just as suddenly as she was picked up, she was dropped unceremoniously to the ground, but do to her training, she stuck the landing. Louise cared for none of that as she continued jumping like an excited child.

"Louise!" she called, trying to calm the girl- _Well, I can't exact ally call her that anymore_ \- woman down, "Louise!" she shouted again, grabbing the Pinkette by the shoulders, stopping her from moving, "Calm down, Louise. It's just a natural part of life."

"I know!" She replied giddily.

"Well, go get something to eat with your new-found energy, then pop into bed." Lyira said, looking the Pinkette in her cheerful eyes, "Tomorrow, we'll get some new outfits for you. Okay?"

"Okay!"

"I'll leave you to it." Lyira said, turning around and heading to the entryway door, only to stop for a moment, "Tell Khem he's invited as well!" she called, garnering another cheery 'okay!'. And with that, the Sith Pureblood left back to her apartment, filing away what she had seen for later. _She looks so much more attractive with a mature figure_.

* * *

The next day, Louise woke feeling the most refreshed and excited she had ever felt in a while. Today she would be going shopping with Lyira. Of course, with that excitement came a flush of embarrassment from her actions the day before. After the Pureblood left, and she had calmed down, the Pinkette was horrified to realise what she had just done and what state of dress she had been in. The simple fact she did it in front of Khem made the entire thing worse.

So, when Lyira and Vette dropped by, the Pinkette began babbling an apology, requiring the Pureblood to try and quell her friend. Once they got that out of the way, they all set off to the market district. One Louise had only visited once, and that was on her first day on Dromund Kaas. The district was one of the largest congregation of non-Imperials around, some from the Chiss Ascendancy, one of the few allies the Empire had. But it was also filled with off-worlders such as bounty hunters or smugglers, and Imperials not fit for the military, whether that be because of age, disability or their skills were suited elsewhere.

When they arrived, sometime after noon, they found the place fairly crowded as people swarmed from stall to building to canteen and back, buying and selling items of interest. Quickly, they assimilated into the crowd with Lyira leading the way.

They passed quite a few vendors selling their wares that ranged from datapad to translators, to weapons and armour until they reached a large building that catered to apparel. According to Lyira, they could get most of the thing she needed here, like new underwear, sleepwear, boots, shoes, gloves, casual outfits and even the black over-robes many Sith sported, but proper robes needed to be tailored for the wearer.

There, Louise picked up a few pairs of boots and elbow-length gloves, some much-needed underwear, a black negligée ("Finally, some sleepwear!"), a loose workout robe, three black over-robes and finally some casual wear. All in all, it put a noticeable dent in her credits -with over a quarter spent- but in her mind, it was all needed. Of course, all outfits were just that bit bigger then she was just in case she grew again. Something the Pinkette was waiting for with baited breath.

However, Louise was not the only one being spoiled. As an apology for the day before, and to make him stop grumbling, she got him a large cloak and a few pairs of pants to replace his aged loincloth. They quickly stopped by her apartment, just to put away the several pieces of clothing and get changed into her casual wear -a synthcloth shirt and pants- and over-robe.

As they left back out into the city, Lyira began telling her about getting an outfit tailored and what getting an outfit tailored required. To Louise, however, it just sounded like a routine tailoring, one she had been a part of a few times during her time as the daughter of a Duchess, but she let the Pureblood continue talking. Though, the Pinkette was not just listening to her friend speak, she was also trying to mentally compile an outfit: from what she knew, Sith apparel was an important part of the Sith's identity.

Unlike the Jedi who's only defining feature was usually their lightsaber, one could usually tell Sith apart from what they wear. One would not mistake someone like Darth Revan -though a heretic he may be- with Darth Malgus. Nor would she mistake the handsome Kahn, for wizened Paracelsus. Each Sith had an identity that was their own, and their outfits -and saber- reflected that. Of course, some Sith had similar outfits, such as the Overseers, and quite a few of the lesser lords and apprentices.

Eventually, they arrived at the tailor's; one of the closer shop-orientated buildings to the Citadel and her apartment. Inside they were greeted by a hardened elderly woman with a skeletal cybernetic right arm, "New apprentices?" She asked, scrutinising the foursome from behind a front desk covered in a few bits and bobs, a register and a terminal.

Lyira answered her question, "No, just this one," she said, gesturing to Louise who felt her skin crawl as the woman's eyes started raking across her body.

"Just a moment," she replied with a gesture, before turning to a little machine on her desk, "Anyone free, we have an apprentice." Spoke the woman into the contraption, pressing a button as she did. After, she turned back to the gathered group, "Just a second."

And just a second it was. Soon, a bald man dressed in an odd but expensive looking garb, entered the room before taking the Pinkette further into the building, telling her that he was the artisan that would make her ideas come to life before pulling her into a small room with a large viewscreen, a lounge, a raised dais off in one of the corners and a few other bits and bobs.

After telling her to stand on the dais, he began measuring her, from her arms to her legs, to head, waist, hips and so on. She was quite happy to hear that she had surpassed the five-foot mark in terms of height. Once the measurements were taken and recorded, she was seated on the lounge where he broached the subject of Sith apparel.

Thus began a lengthy discussion about the variety of Sith apparel she could choose from; the lengthy dress' like ones, the skin-tight leotards, to bulky armour and so on. Of course, Louise already had a vague idea of what she wanted, and began telling the man on her preferences. She told him of the priestess robes of the Church on her homeworld, and asked if they could do something similar to that. With a drawing pad in hand, the artisan began drawing what she described

Of course, she was going to change up a few things such as the colour scheme and cut, but she still wanted that as the basic template. The artisan was just happy that Louise had an idea of what she wanted.

From there, they looked at many different outfits Sith have donned over the years that shared a similar design to her own. They mixed and matched, adding and subtracting things at Louise's command, and eventually, Louise was left with a design she was pleased with;

The long loose sleeves were made tighter to cater to her recently acquired Imperial vambraces. The headdress was removed completely, to make up for their loss, dark loose pants were added. And the neckline was changed to a 'V' neck. The other major change was the cut of the lower half; the priestesses garb already had two slits up the side, reaching to the knees, this was changed so it was moved closer to the front of the dress -creating a front tail reminiscent of the breechcloths that some Sith had- and the slits were elongated to just below the hips. The back flap was changed so it ended calf length at the front, and ankle at the back.

As for the colour scheme and theme. White was changed to black, purples to a crimson red, and gold to a deep royal purple.

The final product, a rough but still amazing outfit, was something Louise felt proud of. A reflection of her identity as a Sith, her origins, and, if she really was a Void mage, a reflection of her power.

"It's a simple design," he said, "good for an apprentice to build off of. I have seen many apprentices try and emulate legendary Sith with complex designs, but they usually fall flat. Then they get angry… and break things," he paused, Scrutinising the image he had drawn, "Now, would you like it to be made from a more leisure fabric, or a more pragmatic and tough fabric?"

"How much will this influence the cost?"

"Well, that depends on what fabric you want. Tough fabric can be both cheap and expensive, as well as leisure fabrics. I think it would be best if you gave us a price range on how much you are willing to spend on these garbs. If I were to estimate the cost for three of these made in synthcloth, a base fabric, I would say… around… two hundred credits?"

Louise controlled her expression. It was quite a high price compared to how much the other pieces of clothing she had bought today, but she could afford it, and so she told him, "I can afford that, though I wouldn't mind a bit more protection, but not at the loss of comfort."

"That we can do. I'll pass on the designs to the synthweavers. We'll try to get it to you by the end of the week. Just make sure you have the credits on hand."

"Thank you for your time."

"You to, my lord."

Louise left the room, reuniting with her companions. They spend the remainder of the day wandering around, stopping at the nearby canteen for some food before leaving back to their apartments.

* * *

The next morning, Louise, dressed in her workout apparel, travelled to the bowels of the apartment complex, where all the training rooms were kept, which there were a lot of, each catering to specific needs. She could see several apprentices and their masters or instructors teaching them a variety of things, from martial combat to Force based combat. Soon, she arrived at the designated meeting place; a large training room that was mostly clad in shadows for some reason the Pinkette could not comprehend.

"So," a voice called out from the shadows, drawing her attention, "You have finally deemed your advanced training worthy enough to start?"

The night before, she had remembered that, yes, she did have other obligations other than Alchemy and socialising, such as her advanced training with Krillis. So, as fast as she could, Louise contacted the cyborg and organised a time to begin their training, "I apologise, Lord Krillis." Louise said, bowing low in slight shame.

"I have no use for your apologies," He rebuked, "Lord Zash expects you to be well versed in what I am teaching you. Due to your tardiness, I must work you extra hard to get you up to date." The menacing grin that twisted onto Krillis' face cause the Pinkette to audibly gulp.


	16. (11) A Slice of Sith Life

Chapter 15 – A slice of Sith life

Break

Note to self: Don't neglect training again. Louise thought, standing in the centre of a large training room. Her arms, legs… her whole body would have been aching had the runes not dulled the pain, and she would have felt exhausted. It had been around twelve hours since she had arrived at the training room with only a short break for food. Had one seen her body under her clothing, they would have just found welts, bruises and sweat.

Currently, he was teaching her Sorcery, getting her up to the level someone like her should be at.

"Again!" Lord Krillis shouted, jolting the Pinkette into action as four combat droids sprang into action, firing a barrage of -thankfully non-lethal- plasma at Louise. Her lightsaber was flourished in a wide twisting arch, deflecting some of the blasts safely away from her, before reaching out in the Force and summoning a bolt of lightning, striking the closest droid. However, instead of just leaving it at that, she bent the Force to her will and commanded the lightning to arc from that droid to the others.

All four collapsed as the electricity activated the training kill switch.

But before she could take a break, four more combat droids activated behind her, firing her blasters at her. This time, instead of just deflecting them with her lightsaber, she tried to deflect it with her hand, only to fail miserably. With a roar of pain and frustration, she struck out with the Force, crushing the sensory module of one of the droids before throwing it at one of its companions. The third was destroyed by her lightsaber which she had thrown in a wide arc, decapitating it.

Suddenly, her senses flared, warning her of impending danger, with a quick pirouette, she turned to face the unknown attacker who had sent a blast of lightning towards her. With one hand, she absorbed the incoming lightning, and with her other, she shot it out towards the last active droid before summoning her saber to hand. Without thinking, she leapt towards her would-be attacker and brought it down, only for it to be blocked a crimson saber.

"Impressive." The cheerful voice of Lord Zash said, looking at the Pinkette with amused eyes.

Louise, shocked at the sudden appearance of her master who was currently blocking her lightsaber from descending onto her skull, recoiled back, "Master?"

The Sith Lord smiled, holstering her lightsaber, "I came down here to see how my apprentice is progressing. Evidently, she is progressing nicely."

"Lord Zash, it is a pleasure to see you." Krillis greeted, "I'm just catching your apprentice up on skills and abilities she should have learned instead of missing out on a weeks' worth of training."

Louise bowed her head shamefully again, she did not need a reminder of what she had done. It was very unlikely that she would do it again, especially after this training session.

"So, you weren't the only one neglected by Louise." Zash said, before turning to Louise with an expression of mock hurt, "I was so hurt when you didn't try and visit at all the past week."

"I apologise, Master." Louise said respectfully, "I got too caught up in studying Alchemy."

"Yes, though despite this, she has taken quite the shining to Sorcery, my Lord." The Cyborg supplied.

"It was one of the main things I researched in detail at the Academy," Louise explained, mentally preparing herself for the pain she was about to experience upon holstering her lightsaber. The pain, once the runes ceased to work their magic, was great. Louise had to put all her effort into making it not show in front of the Lords before her.

"Have you finished up here?" Zash asked, oblivious to the pain Louise was trying to hide.

Louise nodded while Krillis gave a more verbal response, "Yes, we have, but Louise" he added, turning to the Pinkette, "I want you to come down here and train with me at least three times a week. To miss one day of the three will bring about a training session much like this, and do you really want to spend twelve hours extensively training?"

"No, my Lord."

"That's what I expected." Krillis replied, "May the Force serve you both well."

"Come along apprentice," Zash beckoned, "I'll walk you out. It would be nice if, as master and apprentice, we actually spent time together."

Master and apprentice walked side by side down the halls of the training room at a deliberately slow pace set by Zash, "So, Louise, how are you settling in on Dromund Kaas?"

"Quite well, thank you. It's a bit dreary, but I like it." Louise replied, her eyes drifting from room to room, watching the other apprentices go about their days.

"That's wonderful news," Zash said, "I've been quite busy myself, trying to get everything in order for the next stage in our plan, but I decided to take the day off to chat."

Louise was about to respond, when, oddly enough, a voice called her name, "Louise, is that you?"

Spinning on the spot, her eyes locked on to the one who called her name. A human male with a lean build hidden under a scholarly robe of reds and blacks. He had only a thick strip of long red hair down the centre of his head, tied up into a ponytail, but it was his eyes that hit her the most. Icy blue eyes… familiar icy blue eyes.

Completely forgetting her master, Louise began walking cautiously towards the Sith -for he had a double-ended lightsaber at his side- who called her name. It was only then that a part of her mind recognise who it was, "Alif?" she asked hesitantly, not completely sure if she was correct or not.

His smile sold her on his identity, "You've changed!" He exclaimed, looking her up and down.

"I could say the same to you," she replied, the image of a tortured acolyte was completely smashed by this new person who wore Alif's face.

"Why didn't you tell me you made it to Kaas?" he asked, though there was no negativity in the question.

"Must have slipped my mind," Louise replied truthfully.

"It doesn't matter, you're here n-"

Before he could finish whatever he was about to say, another Sith, dressed in similar but much more stylistic robes, strolled up to them. An ageing female Pureblood, if the greying cropped hair, red skin and facial tentacles did not deceive, "Apprentice, are you going to introduce me to your peculiar friend?"

Experience told Louise that the Sith was referencing her hair and eyes, but did not let her annoyance show.

"Ah, yes, master." Alif said, inclining his head in her direction, "This is Darth Eda of the Sphere of Sith Philosophy. And this is Louise; she's the one who made it possible for me to be your apprentice."

Upon hearing the name Eda, Louise perked up, recalling Umbris' advice to find such a Sith on Dromund Kaas. It was quite surprising that Eda just so happened to be Alif's master. Though, to be honest, she had almost forgotten about the entire thing.

"So, you're the pink-haired acolyte he's talked so much about." Eda said pleasantly, "I thank you for that, he's much better than my previous apprentice. Got lost in the Tatoo system, the fool. And it is such a bother to wait a year for a new one."

"You're welcome, my Lord," Louise said, inclining her head similarly to how Alif did.

"Darth Eda, it is a pleasure to meet you," Zash greeted, finally joining the conversation.

"Lord Zash," the Dark Lord replied cordially, "I hope you are well."

"I am," Zash replied, turning to the Pinkette, "Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Louise?

"This is Alif, master. He was my… uh… subject for my second trial." Louise informed.

Lord Zash paused in thought. If Louise was to guess, she was trying to remember the second trial. After a moment, Zash looked as if realisation struck, "Ah, you're Alif. It must have been dreadful with dealing with the Dark Council."

"It was, my lord. But now they're both dead." Alif said, barely hiding the look of satisfaction on his face.

Thinking now was a better time than any, Louise decided to broach the subject of her lightsaber, "Darth Eda, there was something I needed to discuss with you."

"And that is?" Eda replied.

"My lightsaber," She said, "Lord Umbris had told me to talk to a Darth Eda about my lightsaber."

"Let me see." The Darth asked, holding out a hand which Louise quickly filled with her lightsaber. She pulled it close, examining each and every angle before handing it back, "Hmm… well, we've just finished up here. I could answer your questions right now if you'd like."

"We also just got finished a little training session," Zash piped in, "I wouldn't be too much trouble if we could take this discussion to my apprentice's apartment."

"That would be easy enough."

Of course, with such an easy plan in mind, something inevitable had to ruin it. After travelling up stairs and turbolifts, they arrived at Louise's apartment, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, though that changed upon entering. Inside, the quartet found that Louise had an uninvited visitor… and that Khem was trying his hand at redecoration.

Blood stained the Pinkette's bedroom door, a mangled corpse of appeared to be a trandoshan was limp in the corner of the living room… well, its top half. The rest of it was nowhere to be seen. And there Khem stood, looking bored as his sword dripped a small amount of blood onto the floor.

Strangely enough, the first thought in her mind was. Thank the Force I don't have carpet. Her second thought, however, was much more vocal, "Khem," she began with a calm voice, "Who is that?"

"An assassin." The Dashade supplied simply.

At that, Louise's calm exterior broke, "An assas- What!?"

"It seems the machine man wished to try his hand at killing you, again." He explained further.

A strangled growl emanated from behind her. The culprit? Lord Zash, who looked positively -and literally- murderous at this point. Her apprentice could sympathise because it was her head on the line, "Wh- he… uh…" Louise was at a complete loss on how to continue, until a stray thought came to mind, "Well, you could have been cleaner about it!"

"The droid will take care of it," he said dismissively.

"3E!" Louise hollered, summoning the droid from the kitchen-slash-droidbay.

"Is there anything you requi- Oh good heavens, there's blood on the floor!" The droid exclaimed, sounding far too pleased than anything else, "Would you like me to clean up this mess, master?"

Of course, the Imperialdroid would sound pleased about a dead body. Louise groused before answering the droid, "Yes please."

"Right away!" and with that, it got to work, cleaning the blood up with one hand, and the corpse with the other.

As 3E did this, Eda decided to speak up, "Well, things are certainly exciting here. Shall we retire to the dining table?"

With all in agreeance with that idea, Louise, Zash and Alif joined the Darth at the table while Khem left to clean his sword before slinking into his room. Not that Louise could judge him. It had just been ten days since he had been released from his imprisonment, not only that but… well Lord Zash was in the apartment. The Pinkette was just happy that he had heeded her words and not attacked Zash.

"So, your lightsaber," Darth Eda said, getting right down to business.

Louise quickly produced her lightsaber from her belt, handing it to the inquisitive Dark Lord.

Eda twisted the saber around for a moment, analysing it from every angle before dismantling it with the Force, "Tell me, what are the origins of this lightsaber." She asked, appraising the amber crystal closely.

"Well, I don't know it's entire history," Louise mumbled intelligently before saying, "But it was once a Jedi's. I found it in the tomb of Ludo Kressh."

"Is that all you know?" The Pureblood probed.

"Yes. I think the lightsaber has been there for over three hundred years," she explained, adding, "if that helps. Around the Jedi Civil War."

"Yes, it does," Eda said, before becoming quiet for a time, "This is strange… really strange. There are a few crystal laws that both the Sith and the Jedi can agree on. One, is that the better lightsaber crystals bond with their owners, usually for life. Two, is that once a crystal chooses its alignment, light or dark, it will stick to that unless it is dominated by its opposing side. Three, is that some crystals have some primitive form of sentients. And the rest I will not bother you with. This crystal breaks two of these laws and strengthens the last."

"What does this mean?" Louise asked.

"It means that this crystal, one of the rare types which bond with its first owner, a Jedi of the Light Side, even in death, has bonded to you of its own will."

"How?" Zash asked, voicing the question running through the Pinkette's head.

"I have a theory as to what happened," Eda continued, "After centuries of being trapped in a tomb, one that is as permeated with the Dark Sided as Lord Kressh's, has destroyed any connection to the Light and its previous owner." her lip quirked, "Quite like how some Jedi fall. But I digress, the crystal might have called to you, as you were the first being in centuries to enter the tomb. I must say, I am jealous of you, apprentice. If you die, could have your crystal?"

"Uh…. Okay?" Louise replied, baffled by the bluntness of the morbid question, "But… what's wrong with my lightsaber? Umbris said that it was resisting me."

"Oh, that's simple," The Pureblood said, "Lightsaber crystal, like all things, are connected to the Force, some stronger than others. This leaves an imprint on the casing along with whoever used it. It also doesn't help that whoever wielding this lightsaber was a mountain of a Jedi. To put simply, I would advise designing and buying the parts to craft your own lightsaber, but it is much too early to craft your own. The best you could do at this time is buy a standard casing."

So… I need a new case for my lightsaber...that's pretty much what… Umbris said, though it's no matter. Perhaps I could use the other lightsabers I had collected. Louise was about to comment on this line of thought, but before she could, a knock on the door diverted the Pinkette's attention.

Politely removing herself from the table, Louise went and answered the door, perhaps a bit more guarded than usual considering the dead assassin that had occupied her apartment. Opening it, Louise found herself accosted by a worried looking Lyira, "Are you hurt?"

"Wha- ah Lyira?" the pink apprentice questioned, backing off a bit, "What are you doing here?"

"I saw the body of a trandoshan being carted away by a droid from your tower, I got a bit worried," Lyira informed in a haste, her eyes travelling around Louise's body, trying to find any injuries.

"Well, I'm fine, I wasn't here when it happened." The Pinkette informed, "Khem took care of it."

A sigh of relief filled the air, "Oh, thank the Force." The Sith exclaimed.

"Louise, are you going to introduce us to your friend?" The, relatively, cheerful voice of Lord Zash spoke up from the table.

"This is Lyira, she was… my roommate from Korriban." Louise introduced somewhat awkwardly, "Uh, Lyira, this is my master, Lord Zash, Apprentice Alif, and his master Darth Eda,"

"I didn't know you had company, I'll be going."

"Nonsense, I've finished up here, unless there's something else?" Darth Eda asked getting up from the table, only to receive a negative from Louise, "No? Well, then I guess I'll be going. Apprentice, you may stay here and socialise."

"I think I might go as well, apprentice," Zash said, following the Darth.

With a bid of good-day, Eda left the apartment with Zash trailing behind. But before Louise's master left, she pulled Louise just outside the apartment, gesturing for some privacy from Lyira then who went to join Alif at the table. With one hand, the Sith Lord pulled her lightsaber from her hip, cradling it with a look of nostalgia, "I did not know why, but my dreams told me to bring the lightsaber I had as an apprentice. I guess this was the reason. I am giving this to use I for parts. I hope it serves you just as well as it did me."

A puzzled look crossed the Pinkette's face as she tried to understand what 'dreams' had to do with anything. She supposed it could have been a vision, but it was just a lightsaber. Nevertheless, Louise looked down at the rust red lightsaber in her hands as a small smile graced her lips. The gesture was a show of increasable sentimentality, one that she appreciated greatly, "Thank you, master." She said with utmost gratitude.

"You are most welcome, my apprentice." Lord Zash said sincerely. And with that, the Sith Lord left.

Returning to the room, Louise found Alif and Lyira chatting pleasantly to each other. It was a nice scene, one that made her forget the hell she had gone through and only filled her with bliss. Of course, the universe did not like the Pinkette being happy, so something inevitably must end it.

This came in the form of Khem Val, "Is the witch gone?" he asked, his head popping out from his bedroom.

A sigh escaped Louise's lips. Of course, it couldn't last. "Please don't call her a witch, Khem. She just gave me her old lightsaber."

Khem only grumbled another comparison to Tulak Hord before slipping back into his room again.

I swear, he's going to be the death of me… Louise grumbled mentally before thinking. I should probably take him out more. Spending that long in his room is not a good thing. Turning away from the Shadow Killer, the Pinkette joined her friends at the dining room table.

"Green eyes are an oddity among Purebloods," Alif said, continuing whatever conversation they were having.

"Yeah," said green-eyed Sith replied, "my dad used to go on and on about how it made me a descended of Naga Sadow, not that I bought into it, but quite a few thought it was true."

"…Are you?" He questioned.

"I don't care about that."

Thinking now was a better time than any to find out what they were talking about, Louise said, "What you guy's talking about?"

"Just getting to know each other." The only male in the room supplied.

"Speaking of, what have you been up to since we first met?" Louise asked.

"Not much, mostly catch up training." He explained, "I'm just happy that I was far enough into my trials that I wouldn't be a burden. I did leave Kaas a few times, though. Me and my master visited a system off in the outer-rim to investigate a Light Side sect of the Sith Order, and even stopped by Odacer system on an errand. Other than that, it's been a bit slow. What about you?"

The Pinkette smiled, "Well, I'm sure you're curious as to why I'm living with a grumpy Dashade."

"Yes. That would be quite the story."

"Well, after my second trial…" And so, Louise went on about her trials, mostly her third, fifth and sixth trial. When questioned about her fourth, she told him straight up that her fourth trial was a difficult one and to leave it at that. The rest of the day was spent chatting about menial topic until Alif decided to leave to his own apartment.

After pestering Louise about the assassin, Lyira followed soon after.

Once alone, Louise took both her lightsaber -which she reconstructed during her chat with Lyira and Alif- and her master's former lightsaber into her bedroom. Placing them carefully on the bed, she pulled out the two other lightsabers she had. Two Jedi's two Sith's.

Her's was the thick and old lightsaber, built for a very large Jedi. Vemrin's lightsaber was one of the standard ones, ones that overseers would present to the graduating Acolyte should they not already have a lightsaber. The Padawan was thinner, sleeker, personalised by the Twi'lek who wielded it, much more suited to Louise's hand. Zash's was similar to the Padawan, in that it was thinner and had some personalization, it was not one of the standard ones Overseers gave, but different. Louise did not know where Zash had gotten it, but Louise assumed it was probably how she had gotten her three.

But only one could be her new lightsaber. Had Zash not given her lightsaber to Louise, it would have been a choice between the Padawan's and Vemrin's. Ultimately, the Padawan's would have one out, but now she had her master's former lightsaber.

Her mind was made up. It was a bittersweet choice, but she decided that she would use Zash's. It felt like an obligation, one that Louise was pleased to fulfil. Deconstructing her, now, former lightsaber and her masters, she switched the crystals around. After a bit of adjusting to properly set the crystal, she was done.

Igniting the blade with the almost iconic snap-hiss, Louise gave her masters former saber a few practice swings. While not perfect, it was better than her previous.

With that, she put away her lightsabers and collapsed onto her bed, groaning as the comfortable bed eased the aches out of her.

Break

One night, four days since meeting Alif and Eda, Louise received an odd knock on the door.

She was seated at her dining room table, partaking of 'authentic Corellian cuisine' while also reading through her notes on Alchemy and Blacksmithing when the knock sounded on her door. Pushing herself from the table, she called out to the robotic inhabitant in the house, before it decided to answer the door for her, "I got it!"

Making it just in time to interrupt another round of senseless knocking, she opened to door to find a very pragmatically designed worker droid with a package in its lower set of hands. Louise was about to open her mouth to question why the droid was knocking on her door, when it cut her off with a jovial yet genderless voice, "Hello, I am D2-22-A, I am here to deliver your purchase of three sets of Sith Apparel you had ordered. That will be two-hundred and sixty-three credits, please."

Immediately, the night's mood seemed to pick up drastically. It's here! It's here! It's here! Repeated the excited mantra as Louise tried to hide the very noticeable glee in her voice, "Just wait here and I'll be back with some credits."

With controlled footsteps, Louise walked back to her room, only to pause momentarily at Khem's. Opening the door to the Dashade's room, she found the giant, rag in hand, tending to his Sith Sword with complete care, "What is it, pink Sith?" the giant asked, looking up from his work.

"Khem, could you please contact Lyira," she asked, "Tell her my robes have arrived."

Receiving a nod from Khem, Louise resumed walking to her room, a lot faster than before. Once inside, she dashed to her desk, opening one of the few draws and removing a small container before leaving the room. As she sped back to the delivery droid, she opened the container, finding it filled with finger sized, gold and silver cards with the Empire's emblem etched on one end, and a number on the other. They were credit-chips, small cards that represented the physical manifestation of the Empires currency.

It had been a suggestion from Lyira to exchange some of her credits from digital to physical, one Louise found much more comforting; she might like technology, but it felt safer, and practical, if she had her credits on her persons instead of an account.

Once back at the droid, she dug through them, finding the correct amount of credits to use before handing them to it, "Here's the credit's."

D2 analysed them in his upper arms, making sure she had the right amount, before depositing them… somewhere on its persons, "I do hope you enjoy your product, ma'am. Please shop with us again." It said, raising the package for Louise to take. With grateful arms, she took the package, bid good-day to the droid and took the box to the dining table.

Temporarily, it was placed on one of the chairs, as Louise began cleaning the table; the notes were stacked, and the food piled in the kitchen for the droid to take care of.

Khem soon joined her, "I have contacted the Sith. She will be here soon."

Louise nodded, looking at the box with anticipation. Her hand were wringing together as she fought the urge to open it then and there. I mustn't, I must wait for Lyira. Don't touch the box. She repeated to herself as the time passed.

It was about ten-fifteen minutes before Lyira arrived with a similar package in her hands, and a grumpy looking Vette trailing behind, "Ignore her. She's just upset because she couldn't finish the holodrama she's infatuated with," the Pureblood explained.

"I am not infatuated with it!" The Twi'lek denied, "Jerod was about to be voted off the show! You Sith always ruin everyone's fun."

A playful smirk wormed its way onto Lyira's features, "Oh, I guess I'll just stop recording it then." She said, making a move for the front door.

"You di-" Vette paused for a second before rushing up to the Pureblood, hugging her arm like a child would an elder sibling, "No, no, you're an awesome Sith. My bestest buddy, the Sith!"

"Well anyway," Lyira said, pulling herself free from the Twi'lek, "I brought my own outfit so we can compare."

"Great!" Louise said, picking up her packaged and turning it over carefully to try and find a way to open it. Though it appeared to be sealed shut by adhesive tape, "Damn, I need a knife."

"Here, use this," Vette said, producing a small knife, barely longer than her own hand, from her boot.

"Why do you have a knife in your boot?" the Pinkette questioned, giving Vette an odd look.

"Why don't you?" She retorted, spinning the weapon masterfully in hand, "A spare weapon is always good to have."

Louise could not really argue that logic, "Fair enough," she replied with a shrug. Might get one myself.

Taking the weapon in hand, Louise inwardly sighed in relief, glad she had taken to wearing a glove on her left hand everywhere. It appeared that, while it was quite small, the knife still constituted a weapon for the runes to work their magic on. It would have led to awkward questions should her left-hand light up in the presence of someone who is not Lyira. That was where a stray thought wafted to mind. I wonder if I could turn the runes off. Food for thought.

Spinning the knife in hand similarly to how Vette had, she began cutting the tape, allowing her to easily open the box. Putting the knife aside, she opened it. Inside was a thin, semi-transparent paper that covered what she hoped was her outfit. Quickly, it was removed, revealing her folded robes. As if she was picking up a baby, she carefully removed the article, letting it unravel to its full size.

A wave of euphoria washed over her as her eyes roamed over the piece. It was like the first time she was given her own wand -around the time where hope was strong, of course- or when she performed her first piece of magic. Sith attire was an important part of a Sith's identity, it was an expression, one that could mean a wide variety of things from wealth to nobility and status; the direct antithesis of the humble Jedi attire. And now Louise had her own, one that spoke of her origins and what was to come. The design of something she looked up to as holy, broken down and twisted by the trials she went through, forged into something she now saw as beautiful.

A tear came to her eye as she ran a hand down it. It felt nice beneath her skin, not as nice as silk, but better than her acolyte uniform, and much better than her slave garb.

The moment could not last, however, as Vette piped up, "You're not going to make-out with the thing, are ya?"

"Vette!" Lyira exclaimed disapprovingly.

"Jealous?" the Twi'lek said teasingly.

Lyira huffed, "No."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, denial is the first stage-"

"Vette." This time it was more of a warning

The Twi'lek pouted, "Okay…"

"Why must I be subjected to this." Groused the perpetually grumpy Dashade.

Louise was just as disapproving as Khem, "Well… I'm just going to put this on." She said, carefully putting the robe back in the box before picking it up, "Be right back."

"Same," Lyira said, once again jostling her package. The two apprentice both then headed off for some privacy, the Pinkette to her room, and the Raven-haired to the bathroom.

Immediately, Louise began removing what she was wearing currently, a long-sleeved shirt, pants and glove, replacing them with her robes. It was quite simple to put on when she figured it out, just slip it on overhead and put the arms through the sleeves. It took a bit of adjusting once done, but despite that, it was simple. Though that was when she remembered that it had pants as well, not like the priestess garbs that it was based off. Briefly the thought of prancing around in the living room without the added pants, but brushed the scandalous thought away.

With a tinge of blush, she slid the simple but durable pants that arrived with the robes onto her legs, before pulling a belt from her drawers. Deciding to go all out, she donned her belt, imperial boots, vambraces as well as her lightsaber and her blaster. Louise also grabbed one of the over robes, just in case, and headed out of her room.

Lyira and the others were waiting for her, but it was the former who caught her eyes. It was a simple thing, a lot less that what she 'flashy' than what Louise was wearing. A black sleeveless tunic with a low-cut neckline that seemed to cause the Purebloods red skin to glow. A similarly dark long skirt covered her lower half, with a wide split at the front, tapering to a point at that back.

As for armour, it was only boots, gauntlets and a singular pauldron on her left shoulder which was thankfully not as big as some Sith Lords. All in all. it reminded the Pinkette of Darth Baras' outfit from the pictures she had seen… before he became as large as a bantha. I do hope Baras never finds out about that thought…

Despite this comparison, Louise could not help but think that Lyira looked radiant in her outfit.

"You look nice, Lou." Lyira said appraisingly, "It looks very regal on you, considering your noble birth, I would say it suits you."

"You do too. Black suits you," the petite Apprentice replied with a similarly appraising eye.

"Wait… your nobility?" Vette blurted out, looking a tad shocked by the revelation, "I thought you were a slave."

"I was nobility, the daughter of a duchess. But," she added bitterly, "I ended up becoming a slave."

"So… should I be calling you, milady?" Vette asked her tone matching the exaggerated curtsy she performed.

Welcoming the change in topic, Louise raised her nose snootily before putting on a posh accent, "No, I am a Sith. 'My Lord,' should suffice." She said, the smile on her lips ruining the illusion of a prideful noble.

"Well, I do declare, Lord Louise," Vette replied using a similar snooty tone, though "that you look positively dashing in that robe. Black certainly does go with everything."

"Oh my, Lady Vette," Lyira said, joining on the snooty, "I didn't know you knew such sophisticated language."

A smirk crossed the cheerful Twi'leks lips, "It's wonderful what can be learned from the holotelevision."

"If you wish, Lady Vette, you may use mine for your viewing pleasure," Louise added, gesturing to the underused and almost hidden viewscreen facing the lounge in the living room.

"Really, Lord Louise?" Vette asked hopefully.

"Yes," the former noble replied, "Lord Val, Lord Lyira, why don't you join us as we peruse our selection of holofilms or shows?"

Lyira looked completely onboard with the idea, though Khem was less so, "I am no Sith," he said, though Louise could tell there was something more to the statement, "and I'd much rather return to my sword."

"For the sake of this roleplay, you are a Lord, Lord Val," Louise said seriously. It would do for you to actually socialise.

"Kinky." Deadpanned Lyira, losing her exaggerated noble persona.

Either way, the comment seemed to get the desired reaction from the resident apprentice, "Lyira!" Louise shouted scandalised.

"Yes, Lord Louise?" The raven-haired Sith asked, smiling innocently.

"Don't 'yes Lord Louise' me!" She retorted, "I know exactly what you meant!"

The Sith's smile began to grow as she said, "And how, pray tell, do you what I mean."

"I-" she stopped herself abruptly upon realising what she was going to say. It was when the Pinkette realised she had backed herself up into a metaphorical corner, that her blush grew three times that night, "I-uh… I was curious!"

"Bi-curious?" The emerald eyed Sith joked, only sigh upon seeing her pink haired counterparts pout, "Oh come on, Lou, I'm just playing around."

"Guys… uh… could we watch some holotv?" Vette asked, hoping to move away from the direction the conversation was moving.

"Fine," Louise said, before pointing an accusing finger at the Pureblood in the room, "But you're staying away from my personal holoterminal, lest you want me to go through yours."

"I haven't been on anything like that for a couple of months." Lyira replied seriously, only to recoil at the combined power of Louise's and Vette's glare, "Fine, let's watch some holotv."

Vette, being the one who had any idea of what they wanted to watch, was the one chosen to handle the technical aspects of working the viewscreen, connecting it to the holonet and subsequently the holotv. Louise, using her power over Khem, forced him to stay and watch with them. Though it was not as happy as one might expect, as Louise set about sitting in the corner of the couch with Khem between her and Lyira, who she was not happy with. But other than that, they settled in and watched whatever holodrama the Twi'lek wished to subject them to.

It was late at night when Lyira and Vette vacated the premise. Louise had then spent the rest of the night carefully folding and putting away her robes, made a note to further test the capabilities of the runes, and finally, researching how to delete ones holonet history. Even then, the overbearing feeling of paranoia and guilt hung over her, as if she had just committed a great crime punishable by a slow and agonising death. The thought of a bunch of armed Imperial agents barging down her doors and arresting her was one that kept her awake for an hour or so. I swear, I was only curious, I swear!

Break

It was two days, and a bit of coaxing for Louise to finally accept that she had learnt enough to finally return to a surprised Paracelsus. He had honestly thought the Pinkette would have taken a few more days or another week to return; she was just curious as to why Lyira was so interested in her studies. What the Darth did not realise that, despite working herself to exhaustion for a week, she retained most of the information. It was a skill cultivated over her long study sessions back at the Tristain Academy and only strengthened by her connection to the Force. Though it was not an all-powerful skill, as some of the information slipped through the cracks, but the Alchemist did not mind her laps in memory.

In fact, he was so entranced by her drive, he decided to start the next step in her training as soon as possible, which to the eccentric Darth, meant right now. A decision that Louise criticised, "Right away?" she asked, the familiar self-doubt setting in.

"Of course!" He replied boisterously, his maliciously red eyes glinting with joy, "The Dark Side is built upon the foundations of passion, and you, Louise, have passion! I could not allow this skill to atrophy." It seemed he was in a theatrical mood, today, "Now follow!"

Sighing in indignation, Louise followed, "Yes, my lord." I was looking forward for some me time, but…

Out the office, the two walked, down the bright halls and up to an odd door that's apperence contrasted the rest of the halls., which Paracelsus proceeded to open. Entering, Louise was introduced to what she could only call a blacksmith's forge; a blast furnace took up the far-left corner with a large anvil and water vat nearby. A few other machines sat around the room such as a grind wheel, large cupboard filled tools and materials of varying types, a wide desk filled with a random assortment of things. Though, there were a few machines she knew no purpose for.

"Welcome to my personal workshop, apprentice." Darth Paracelsus said, gesturing grandly to the room, his robes sweeping around him. As his hands swept across the room, the furnace burst to life and a large hammer launched from the cupboard into his hand, "Now," he continued, "I shall only show you this once. A demonstration of what want you to do. From there, you will take over, but I will guide you along."

With that, he swept to the table, picking an ingot of metal from it with the Force and dragging it along to the furnace before holding it the flames. Louise moved closer to the Darth, wanting to not miss a second of his demonstration, watching him as he moved the metal around in the fire and felt what he did with the Force.

Time passed, and the piece of metal began to glow as he twisted it around, allowing it to heat evenly. Once Paracelsus saw that it was correctly heated - Louise made a mental note of its colour- and took the glowing metal out, levitating it over to the anvil. The Pinkette followed suite.

The metal was placed squarely down on the anvil where he began hammering away. Though, Louise could not really concentrate at this point, as the sound of metal striking metal assaulted her ears with each painful strike. Louise was no stranger to loud noises; being able to summon explosions with a single word and a swish of a wand lead to broken windows and hurting ears, but this was different. It felt like a nail was being… well for lack of a better word, hammered into her head.

But she tried to ignore the painful sound of hammering and focus on the technique Paracelsus used, the angles, the amount of strength put into the strikes, and so on. Soon, the metal cooled, and the Dark Lord renewed the heating process. He repeated the steps several times, heating the slab of metal then hammering it out, turning it on its side and back so it would not become flat, but lengthen it. As he did this, Louise began to realise what he was forging, to put it quite crudely, he was making a stick; a straight metal rod.

About half an hour to an hour later, he had finished shaping it, dousing it in a vat of water to rapidly cool it.

"This should be your final product," he said, presenting the rod to Louise for inspection.

Taking it in hand, Louise could tell it was made with time in mind, not quality. It was not perfectly round, nor was it by any means perfect. She could see where the hammer had hit the piece, where it had lengthened it. Yet she could honestly say, that despite its lack of quality, it was made by a master smith.

"Now," Paracelsus he began, taking the rod in hand, "If you ever have a problem where you've made a mistake and ruined the iron; you overheat it, or shatter it somehow. Just put it on the table, and get a new ingot from the bottom draws of the cupboard. You may begin when ready," he held out the hammer to her.

Louise took it into hand with apprehension. She just knew she would fail, he had even said that she would fail, not that it made her feel any better. Grumbling internally, Louise walked up to the cupboard and took out a few ingots of iron, bringing it to the table before picking one and beginning the heating process.

Oh Chaos, I would take mining over this any day! The Pinkette whined internally, wincing as she swung down a hammer with all her might, down onto the glowing hot bar of metal. At least with mining, my ears aren't assaulted by the sound of metal screaming in pain. And let's not get started on the heat! Oh, Force!

Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.

Briefly, she paused to wipe the sweat from her brow, looking down at her handiwork: A malformed two-foot bar of metal heated inconsistently that, in her mind, could only pass as a rod if one were to squint at it behind a stain glass window.

Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.

Off in the corner, Darth Paracelsus was somehow fast asleep on the desk amongst the clanging metal. He had fallen asleep sometime after the twelfth failed attempt, not that Louise cared. Her focus was designated wholeheartedly to shaping the lump of iron to a long and -relatively- straight rod. Again, the metal cooled beyond a point where she could no longer shape it. So, ceasing her hammering, she carried the iron over to the forge to begin the heating process anew.

Despite the horrible conditions and her protesting ears, she found smithing an… odd art. Much like knitting, it played to a similar love, for when she could not create using a wand, she tried with her hands. The only thing that put her off blacksmithing, was the aforementioned conditions and the number of steps needed.

She took the iron out of the forge to make sure it was properly heated. Pleased with the much more even glow along its length, she took it back over to the anvil and renewed her hammering.

Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.

This time, she felt she was making actual progress. The odd disfigurations were being hammered out, and it was much less curved and twisted than it was before. A half-hour later, and she had something that could pass for a rod. Walking over to a particularly neglected part of the room, Louise submerged the piece of iron into the vat of water, recoiling back from blast of steam.

"So, you've finally finished with your piece?" The Dark Lord spoke up suddenly, startling the Pinkette.

Louise had to hold down the urge to shouting at Paracelsus. Why is it that these Sith always enjoy startling people! She shouted mentally. First Lord Umbris, now Darth Paracelsus. But on the outside, she only jostled slightly, "To the best of my abilities." She grumbled, hiding it behind her exhaustion.

"Let me see." He ordered. Louise obeyed.

Lifting the rod from the water, she carefully presented it to the Darth. He ran his crimsons eyes over the piece with an analytical air, humming slightly before he piped up, "Not a masterpiece, but I did not expect you to master this after a day. I advise that you practice smithing at least twice a week, create something new on those days, a spiral, a spring, experiment! Once you feel like moving on to something else, come back to me and I will begin teaching you some more complex things. I'll send you the access codes later today."

"Yes, my Lord," Louise replied, though she really wanted to sigh exaggeratedly. On top of training with Krillis, she now had to visit the Alchemist Hub to practice blacksmithing. My life is more bogged down than when I was at the Tristain Academy!

"Well, off you go. And take this with you." He said, passing the rod back to her.

Break

It was early in the morning, much earlier than should be legal, that Louise was thrust from her sleep by a loud and obnoxious beeping sound. Thirteen days had passed since she was given her task from Paracelsus, and it was leaving a mark. She had not burned herself… yet… but she could still feel them aching from yesterday's work. Groggily and petulantly, she flung her bedsheets from petite, though mature, form, and began to search for whatever was making that infernal sound.

After knocking over an iron spring-thingy snake she forged -and for some reason, decided to keep- she found herself with her datapad in hand, glaring down at the despicable thing. It had never made that sound before, so she was completely befuddled by what was happening. Switching it on, Louise quickly found herself accosted by a notification; an urgent message from her master, Lord Zash.

She opened the message. It was short, blunt, and one that she had been subconsciously dreading:

'Louise, I have some news concerning our mutual friend, Skotia. Get to my office at the Citadel, as soon as possible.

– Lord Zash'

The effect was immediate. Louise snapped alert, dropping the datapad unceremoniously onto her bed and dashed out of the room to get cleaned up, only to stop upon realising her indecent attire… and lack thereof. Slinking back into her room, she slipped on a pair of panties and used her black over robe as a bathrobe before leaving to the bathroom.

After a quick shower and dental cleaning, she slid back into her room and began getting dressed in accordance to the urgency of the missive. Off came her nightwear and on came her pants, boots, robes, vambraces, and again, the outer robe. From her desk, she summoned her lightsaber and blaster before retrieving her datapad from the bed. All set, she walked purposefully out the door.

For a moment, she thought of waking Khem but stopped herself just outside his door. It was much too early in the morning and, despite his warning, she doubted Zash would do anything questionable this early into her training. So, she quickly told 3E to inform the Dashade that she would be meeting up with Lord Zash. She just hoped he would be fine with it.

A quick check to make sure she had everything on her, and Louise headed out of the apartment.

However, it appeared the Force, long dead Sith Lords, or any deities that existed really wanted to make this morning as unbearable as inhumanly possible. By the time she had descended the stairs and turbolifts, it had become raining heavily. The Pinkette let out an incomprehensible growl, a mixture of curses in all the languages she knew spouted from her lips, just behind the entryway.

With one hand, she produced a bobby pin from a pouch in her belt, with the other, she began to wrap her ponytail around its base, creating a bun, before pinning it in place. Pleased with her quick work, she pulled her hood over her head and stepped out into the pouring rain.

The trip, while wet, was quite uneventful. Several times she had praised technology, the first was for her water-resistant robes, the second was for the convertible roofs of the skycars. Eventually, she arrived at the Citadel. Once safely inside and away from the downpour, she sped towards her master's office, wanting to get inside and out as fast as possible.

Thankfully, Zash's office seemed to have some form of indoor heating -a third praise for technology wordlessly left her lips. The Sith Lord, herself, was seated at her desk reading a hardcover novel, though this was until she realised someone else was in the room with her. The blonde Sith's reaction was humouring as it was worrying as she slammed the book closed, shoving it into a drawer in her desk with utmost haste, "Apprentice, I did not expect to see you so soon!" she said in her usual grand manner, trying to make what she was doing look natural, but failing miserably.

Ignoring the rancor in the room as best she could, Louise got right to business, "My datapad seemed to demand my attention. What is it you wanted to tell me?"

Pleased that her actions were not being questioned, Zash began, "I have wonderful news, my apprentice!" She pushed herself from her desk, walking around it to Louise, "Darth Skotia has left the Dromund System on some important business, not only that, but I have discovered something that will make killing him relatively easier. Out in the jungle, a group of slaves have recently revolted. They were working on a colossal statue that has since gone unfinished. I believe Skotia is hiding something of great importance nearby. Get the archaeological plans to the area from one of the slaves, and contact me by holocommunicator."

Louise hid her grimace unde3r a mask of careful indifference, "As you wish, my master," But inside, she felt like stabbing something repeatedly. The very last thing she wanted to do was to be given a job with slaves in the mix, it made her sick to her stomach, but she continued to hide it.

Zash then bid her ado, gesturing for the Pinkette to get a move on, which Louise gladly took.

Her whole journey back home consisted of her seething in anger. She did not want to do this. She did not want to meet the rebelling slaves. She absolutely loathed the fact that the Empire had slaves. The thought of even harming one was completely abhorrent to her, and she knew that with her luck, the mission would descend into a fight. She could not try diplomacy with her status as one of their 'oppressors' nor was she willing to harm them. It was a lose – lose scenario and Louise hated it.

The idea of bringing Khem was just as unappealing as what she was being told to do, especially considering the mess he usually leaves behind. Though… perhaps she did not need to go alone… and perhaps… it did not need to end in a fight.


	17. (12) The Unfinished Colossus

**Chapter 16 – The Unfinished Colossus**

* * *

Louise knocked three times on the apartment door in quick succession. Water dripped from her robes from the outside storm that had only increased in temper. Depending on how she looked at it, it was both a godsend and a curse.

Another round of knocking was interrupted by someone answering the door. By fortune or fate, it had been exactly the person who she had come for, "Louise? What are yo-" a tired Vette said before being cut off by the smaller woman grabbing her by the shoulders.

"I need to borrow you,"

"Ah… Lyira!" The Twi'lek called, "Your girlfriend is kidnapping me!"

Louise managed an indignant huff before a muted voice cut through the apartment, "What?" then the sound of sliding doors and slapping feet heralded Lyira's arrival. It appeared that Louise was not the only one who was wet this morning. Lyira had just gotten out of her shower with her hair still drenched and only a grey towel providing any modesty, despite that it barely covered the lower half of her.

With a will matching the Emperor's, Louise only raised an eyebrow at the sight before setting her eyes solely on Vette as Lyira asked, "You're doing what?"

"I need to borrow Vette." Louise reiterated, her eyes briefly flashing to the Pureblood.

"Why?"

"Because I need someone to help me sneak around an area controlled by the revolting… slaves near the Unfinished Colossus. I can't take Khem because I doubt he would be good for sneaking… that and I really don't want to fight any slaves and he's a bit of a," she paused, thinking of the right words to best describe her behemoth of an unwilling servant, "Blood Knight?"

"Why do you need to go near the unfinished colossus?"

"Need to get some archaeological plans by the end of the day."

"…That strangely makes sense." Lyira said after a pause, "Why don't I go with?"

"Uh, not to be mean, but the last time I heard that you try sneaking around, it didn't go so well," Louise answered, remembering how tired the girl had been after one of her trials. Surprisingly, Vette broke into laughter at that. Louise did not know what was so humorous, she knew that the Sith Apprentice was not very good in the stealth department, but the laughter was unexpected. Lyira pouted.

"So…" the Pink-haired Apprentice continued, ignoring the mirth, "can I borrow you?"

Vette shrugged, "Sure, though you might want to change."

"Why? This outfit's fine."

"Oh yes," she said, sarcasm evident from the first word, "let's sneak around a bunch of armed slaves looking like a Sith Lord because that's going to go down so well. Do you have any other clothes you could wear?"

"Well, I have a few, though I doubt they would be good for a disguise," Louise said, thinking about how… Sith orientated her wardrobe was.

"Ugh, come with me." Replied Vette, grabbing the Pinkette by her hand and pulling her into the Twi'lek's room.

Louise could just make out Lyira grumbling, "Fine, leave me, I'll just go hang out with Khem."

Just before she could get her bearings down, Louise found herself pushed onto a bed as Vette proceeded to ravage her draws, digging deep for outfits. By the time the girl was done with her draws, Louise found herself extremely jealous of the Twi'lek's wardrobe.

"First things first, is to deal with your hair," Vette said, "It just way too noticeable."

It was at that moment, Louise realised, what she had just gotten herself into.

By the time Vette had finished her impromptu makeover, Louise had been stripped of her robes and armour and stuffed inside an amalgamation of both Vette's and Lyira's wardrobe. It was loose fitting and felt odd in some places, but it was not the most uncomfortable outfit she had ever worn. Though all thoughts on how comfortable she was diapered upon looking in the mirror. _I look like some ruffian._ The Pinkette groused.

A long-sleeved dark brown shirt clung loosely to her body and a sleeveless thick jacket was pulled over. She was allowed to keep her pants, boots, gloves and belt, but in return, she had to wear a cowl tightened to her head which she, somehow, managed to stuff her hair into. As for her eye problem, well, what was chosen was the gaudiest part of the ensemble; thick shaded goggles that would not look too out of place on a mechanic.

Despite Vette's insistence that she looked like a smuggler and would not look too out of place, Louise still felt like she would be as noticeable as a jester at a funeral. Though, unlike a jester, she was allowed to keep her weapons on hand. Her lightsaber was hidden away in a pouch on her belt, much like her time on Korriban, and her blaster was dangling proudly on her hip. She just hoped she would not need them.

Together, Vette and Louise left the Twi'lek's bedroom, noting their red-skinned friend had left the apartment and made their way to leave the complex. Though it seemed life wished for another complication into the matter, as the moment they made to exit the apartment, their path was blocked by a disgruntled Khem and Lyira

" _What is this I hear, Pink Sith?_ " The not so gentle giant grumbled, sounding strangely hurt, " _You are abandoning me, Khem Val, servant of the great Tulak Hord, for some weak creature_?"

Ignoring the barb towards Vette, Louise turned towards Lyira who was looking as if she would much rather be anywhere but here, "You told him?"

"Hey, don't look at me!" Lyira said, holding her hands up as if surrendering, "I was just going to spend some time with him while you two have fun without us. He just up and left when I told him."

"This isn't 'fun,' Lyira. This is a matter of life and death!" Louise replied, a hint of urgency and exasperation clear in her voice. She then turned to Khem, "I'm sorry, Khem, but I need someone who is sneaky… and you're a bit noticeable."

" _I am a Shadow Killer, one of the greatest hunters of the Dashade_!"

"Sorry, Khem, but just for this time. All I need to do is sneak in, steal some plans and retrieve something, okay?"

" _I will hold you to your word. But remember the bond_."

"Yes, yes." She exclaimed, quickly bidding the Sith and Dashade a good day while pulling Vette along.

Soon they left the warmth and safety of the apartment complex. Luckily Louise and Vette had enough foresight to bring their cloaks, so it was not too much of a bother especially with all the buildings they could seek cover under. In short time they arrived at the city transit station.

Flying over the surface of Dromund Kaas was a pleasant experience despite the weather. The convertible roofs for the skycars were wonderful. However, her good mood soon turned to vapour as her temporary companion decided to broach a subject she did not expect nor wish to broach, "So… what's going on with you and Lyira?"

"We're friends," Louise replied coolly.

"Yeah, got that," Vette said, "but I remember what happened the day you first arrived, what was all that about?"

Louise looked to the Twi'lek with one part annoyance and two parts confusion, "Lyira didn't tell you?"

"She did, but she also left quite a bit out. So, tell me, what's going on between you two?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, too bad," grumbled Vette, "She's been acting off ever since your talk, even Baras has noticed. So…?"

"What do you think the conversation was about!?"

"She confessed that she likes you and you turned her down?"

"I don't want to ruin our friendship… I can't deal with a relationship at the moment. Too many things happening." Louise exclaimed defensively.

"Lyira was worried sick about you before you came to Dromund Kaas. Just don't wait too long… being Sith doesn't do any favours for your life-expectancy."

Louise huffed, turning herself away from her companion. She did not want to think about relationships or anything like that. Yet, despite this, she could not dispel the thoughts from her mind. She glared out at the pouring rain, wishing that the day could just end.

...

"Uh, hey… you two!" A voice called from nearby.

When the skycar had deposited the two just outside the bound of the Colossus, Vette and Louise had immediately regretted arriving today. The ground was muddied and the parts of their outfits not protected by water resistant cloaks quickly became drenched. Her mood had only darkened as the Colossus was still a fair while away, just barely visible in the grey sheets of rain.

They had been walking for what seemed like hours when they finally reached an Imperial checkpoint where they quickly ducked inside a large watch-tower like building to recover from the elements. Inside were a few Imperials milling about and some others who she did not care to notice.

Until now, that is.

Looking over, she saw a bulky man arrive. He was pale, near chalk-white and his irises were white – _a Rattataki_. her mind supplied. He was dressed, oddly enough, in the garb of a Mandalorian, though he did not seem like the intimidating foe that Mandalorian's had been made out to be, "Yeah?"

"What are you guys doing around here?" he asked, looking between the two.

"I have business around the Unfinished Colossus." Louise answered vaguely.

"Dealing with those slaves?" he pressed.

"Uh, no. We're looking for something near there. Why?"

"Well, seeing as you're going in there," he began, "how would you like to make a pile of credits?"

"I'm listening." Said Vette.

"So, you know Darth Vowrawn?"

"Yes, I am familiar with the name," Louise replied. _I mean, what self-respecting Sith wouldn't? He's one of the oldest members of the Council!_

"Yeah, well, his apprentice, Lord Qet, wants to advance. So, he starts building a giant statue to his master. But Lord Qet doesn't want his master to know, so he brings in slaves from offworld. Slaves rebel and we got this mess."

 _That's… actually quite sweet of Lord Qet… well, besides the slavery and selfish desires._ Louise mused as Vette asked, "So, what does this have to do with us?"

"Lord Qet wants to save face, but secretly." The alien said, "He calls in me and my mercs. By the time we get here, the slaves have captured some giant industrial drills. They're getting ready to bring down the whole thing. Our best team goes in with explosives to blow up the drills… slaves kill ever last one of them."

"I see where this is going…" Louise said, her eyes flashing in annoyance under her goggles.

"Yeah. Got a pile of credits for anyone who grabs those explosives, hooks them to a giant drill, then fights off slaves until the explosives detonate."

 _Yeah, we are not doing that_. A quick glance and a gentle use of the Force, Louise found that Vette was thinking the same thing. Though this did not stop the blue Twi'lek from saying, "If we find the explosives, we'll try."

The alien accepted the reply, either ignorant of their unwillingness or ignoring it, "If you do blow them up, come here and I'll give you two your rewards."

"Thanks," with that final word, the man left them to their devices.

Soon, they both unanimously decided that waiting around was not going to do them any favours, and decided to go out and brave the elements once again. they soon arrived at the bridge, and it was just as she had heard on the HoloNews; a squadron of Imperial guards stood armed and ready by the entrance to the bridge. Barricades had been placed strategically down the bridge, some destroyed by combat, other's worn but serviceable. Along the Imperial side of the ravine, she could barely make out a temporary barrack, guarded securely, and a Sith Lord and his apprentice who was overseeing the rebellion.

She made a move towards the bridge but was stopped by an Imperial Officer flanked by two soldiers, "What is your business here?" she demanded, her features obscured by her heavy-duty outfit.

"We have business on the other side of the ravine," Louise answered, forced to raise her voice because of the downpour.

"Business? What business?"

Vette was the one to answer, "We were given orders to destroy the captured drills for Lord Qet."

"We've had at least one group go by with the same orders. They didn't make it."

"We understand the dangers," Louise insisted, "Though we wouldn't mind a way across that doesn't put us in plain sight."

"I wouldn't bother, the weather would obscure most of their instruments. We just set a few of our men over the bridge to poison their water supply. Just get across before the weather changes its mind," Louise could hear the smirk in the tone the Imperial was using and wished that she could just punch the man in the face, "Just cross the bridge and don't get seen."

 _Poison_. She thought. _How… disgusting_.

Shaking the horribly thought of the slaves succumbing to whatever poison the Empire was subjecting them to from her mind, she looked to the bridge. Several thoughts passed through her mind, most being about how stupid of an idea it would be to just _walk_ into enemy territory via the bridge, however, playing back the conversation in her head, she felt no lies from the Imperial. With a discontent sigh, overpowered by the sound of rain Louise pulled her temporary companion across the bridge.

It was for the first of many times this day that Louise had praised the storm overhead and whatever Dark Side rituals the Emperor had performed to get the weather to act in such away. With such heavy downpour, their movements were muffled and quiet. Not only that, but it would be difficult for the revolting slaves to notice her and her blue friend prowling around their land. Though this was also counterproductive as quite a few times they had accidentally found themselves dangerously close to the rebels.

Quite a few times a little voice in her head told her that this mission would be over a lot quicker if she eliminated troublesome slaves, but she quickly and savagely beat that voice into submission. Soon, however, they found themselves a nice little hideaway in the centre of the slave occupied area. It was a small decrepit building that appeared to have been stripped entirely of everything with a large hole in the roof that could have only happened from an explosion.

Immediately, the two took up residence.

Despite the hole in the roof, it was still _much_ calmer than it had been outside, so the two took the time to relax from the tedious task of braving the weather and stealth.

"So, what are we to do?" Vette asked, ringing out the water from a particularly wet article of clothes "Ask around for these plans?"

Louise paused, thinking over several ideas that came to mind. After a moment, an idea struck, one that she was begrudging to commit to, but would be quite easy if done properly, "Ah… yes, yes we could…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Just help me lure one of the rebels."

"Why?"

"Just trust in the Force."

With a frustrated sigh, Vette stormed out of their temporary hideaway and Louise sat down and tried to meditate. She focused on the Force and remembered all she could from her lectures on mind domination, which was not exactly much considering she had only listed to two at Lyira's insistence. As she reviewed what the holocrons had told her, she tried desperately to ignore how it was eerily similar to slavery, replacing that voice with the dogma of the Sith and how it was only to be temporary.

By the time Vette had returned, Louise had been mumbling the Sith Code under her breath. It had appeared that the Twi'lek was looking none-too-pleased about what she was having to do, dragging an unconscious and restrained alien, a Zabrak, into their hideaway. Louise grimaced in agreement, "Do you have a way of waking him up?"

Vette nodded.

"Gag him," Louise said. At the look the Twi'lek was giving her, she continued, "We don't want him breaking our cover, do we?"

Vette nodded, this time much more begrudgingly. She produced a length of fabric from her belt and proceeded to gag the alien. With an order to wake the man up, Vette proceeded to pull another object from her belt, a syringe, and inject the man with whatever it was.

The effect, while not instantaneous, happened quickly. The man jerked awake, his eyes darting around fearfully as he tried to scream or shout, but it was all muffled by the gag. Soon, he began trying to break out of his bindings, but nothing his actions were for nought.

Immediately, Louise got to work. Centring herself, she focused on the man before her, "You will calm down," she said, waving her hand in front of her face. When it had no effect, she tried it again and again, each time willing the Force to make the man obey. Soon frustration got the better of her, and she growled out, " **You** ** _will_** **calm down**!"

The man stopped struggling against his restraints.

Louise allowed her lips to quirk in a smile. She gestured for Vette to remove the gag and unchain him. Once that was done, she stared down the calm man with determination, " **You will find the Colossus' archaeological plans, and you will bring them to me as secretly as possible.** " She commanded, before adding, " **You will return every thirty minutes to report your findings** "

The slave repeated the commands then walked off as if nothing happened.

"Now, we wait." And wait they did. It took them nearly two hours before the slave returned with the plans, and both Vette and Louise were quite anxious, especially as the storm was letting up. They had thought that their plan was all for nought when they sent him off for the fifth time, but he returned with the plans in hand. The package was a small datacard of atypical design.

Looking at the glassy eyed slave, Louise waved her hand across his face, " **You will leave with no memory of us**." With that, he left for the final time.

With the plans in hand, Louise pulled her holocommunicator from her belt and sent a call to her master. After a few seconds of waiting, the blond Sith Lord answered. "Who are you," she all but demanded, her features hardening in a way that was quite terrifying for the young Pinkette.

"It's me, my master. I'm in disguise." Louise replied, removing her goggles.

Immediately, Lord Zash's demeanour changed, becoming the pleasant woman she had known since the beginning, "Oh, marvellous! Does this mean you've found the archaeological plans?"

"I have, my master," Louise said while sending the plans to Zash using her datapad. Once sent, she watched the bust of Lord Zash shift, her attention drawn away from the holocommunicator and onto something the Pinkette could not see.

"Hmm, let me see…" Zash paused, her eyes flickering as if she was examining what Louise assumed to be the plans. Thinking that she would have to wait before she could get any more answers, the Pinkette sat down, looking around the small area she and her temporary companion were hiding. Eventually, Lord Zash seemed to find what she was looking for, "Aha, yes." She breathed, "You've done wonderfully, apprentice. Skotia seemed to have hidden a chamber underneath the colossus itself! I bet my complete collection of Naga Sadow's Yavin IV writings that you'll find what we're looking for in that chamber."

Louise's eyebrows rose as part of her wondered if Zash would keep her word on that bet. If she could get her hands on them, it could be a great boon upon her. But she dare not press that line of questioning, feeling unsure where she lie with the cheerful Sith. Instead, she chose to question what they were looking for.

"You're looking for a Trandoshan relic." Zash answered, "It's the symbol of leadership of an obscure Trandoshan cult one the lizards believe to have been a gift from their deity, the Scorekeeper, himself."

Louise, nodded, connected two and two together with the knowledge given, "So, that's how he's got the Trandoshans to follow his lead. He somehow got the tablet and is now reaping the benefits."

"Quite astute, my young apprentice. Do you see why we need it?"

"… she who holds the tablet, controls the lizards?" Louise responded.

"Exactly." Zash said, smiling devilishly, "I'm sending you the coordinate to the entrance of the base and where the tablet is most likely kept. Time is of the essence, we wouldn't want the old cyborg to catch on, now would we? But before you go, I must warn you; inside you might find a few of Skotia's apprentices, it only makes sense. I wouldn't doubt that they also hold the keys to our goal. It would be best if you killed them all before leaving."

"As you wish, master." With that, the hologram vanished as their connection died. A few moments later, and a beep sounded from the datapad. Checking it, she found a detailed map of the entire complex, as well as directions to the opening.

Louise turned to the Twi'lek keeping watch, "It looks like we are breaking into the Colossus, Lady Vette," she said, a grimace plastered on her face.

"Bringing that back, are we?" Vette replied. Louise could only shrug in response, putting away her datapad, "Wait, we're going into the Colossus?" she pressed, suddenly going still.

"Yep," Louise replied.

"And if the Colossus was destroyed?" she continued slowly.

"Well, we would be… Oh, by the Emperor!" Louise spat, realising what Vette was implying. She pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing, "So, shall we go blow up a few drills." she asked, her tone part annoyed, part weary.

"Yeah…"

 _Why is it always me who has to blow things up!_

...

Nearly twenty minutes after her odd -at least to Vette- proclamation, the duo finally found the explosives… down in a ravine and guarded by a group of rebel slaves who, in turn, were surrounded by dead mercenaries. It had taken another full fifteen before they could successfully find a way to non-lethally remove them from the picture, using a similar tactic they used to find the archaeological plans ("Damn! Why didn't we keep that Zebrak!").

But soon, they had the explosives in hand. The drills, on the other hand, were much easier to find considering their massive size – in fact, they had passed the behemoths on the way to snatch the explosives. The trek was a short one, and soon they stood before the massive machines. Along the way, she had discovered that the explosives counted as a weapon, so when prompted by Vette asking if she knew how to use it, she could safely say: "Yes, yes I do." And with that, Louise got to work placing the explosives in strategic weak points on the constructs, utilising the runes knowledge.

Soon, the timer was set and primed.

By the time it actually exploded, however, Louise and her companion were inside a large cavern following the archaeological plans to where the hidden base was stashed. It seemed her, and her employer had underestimated the power of the explosives as she had to move quickly to avoid loose bit of rock falling from above. It was at this point exactly that a stray thought entered her head, one that was beaten back with savage ferocity.

After all, if she did not dwell on the fact that slaves could have possibly gotten injured or even killed by the bombs, it simply did not happen.

Then, as she was beating this thought back, a large rocky wall opened revealing a much larger room made of metal, "The hidden base!" Louise hissed. But before she could make a move to enter the stronghold, a squad of Imperial soldiers left. Immediately, the two went for cover, hiding behind a group of moist stalagmites, listening in on the conversation. From what she could hear, they had been sent to investigate the massive explosion that had shaken the foundations.

Carefully, she unclipped her blaster pistol, aiming it at the squad leader with Vette following soon after. Soon the air was filled with the sound of discharging blasters as bolts of reds and greens flew wildly in the cavern. Soon enough, the team was silenced.

"Ah, Louise?" Vette asked, cautiously kicking an imperial trooper she had shot dead moments ago.

Louise turned to face the Twi'lek, a looted blaster rifle -A DLA-13, according to the runes- in hand, "Yes?"

"What's with the Imperials?" she asked cautiously, "I thought this was about slaves…"

Finding no reason to lie, Louise replied, "Well… ah… we may be attacking a Sith Lord's underground base."

"… We are… attacking a Sith _Lord's_ underground base…" she repeated, her blue skin paling ever so slightly.

Despite also feeling quite nervous about her assignment, she kept an aloof air about her, "Don't worry, he's off-world at the moment."

"That makes it _so_ much better!"

Louise sighed, looking at the ajar doorway to Skotia's stronghold, "Let's just get this over and done with."

...

Entering the base proved to be a laughable feat, but entering was just the beginning. The second they stepped foot inside, an alarm had been triggered and the two had been very nearly swarmed by combat droids and soldiers. Luckily, it appeared that there was only a skeleton crew manning the underground bunker, so 'swarmed' meant that there were only ten, maybe twenty all up.

Vette had handled herself with the air of a professional… or rather someone who had been in a similar predicament. The blue Twi'lek moved around the room with the grace of a dancer, letting loose bolts of lethal plasma strike her targets, felling them in a matter of moments.

Louise took a different approach to fighting her foes. With a minuscule application of the Force, she was able to manipulate the battle in her favour; subtle telekinetic blasts with the Force to redirect blaster fire being the main contender. Aside from her use of the Force, she soon realised that, for the lack of accuracy of the blaster rifle, it made up for it with its rapid fire and much more powerful plasma bolts.

It was only when they tried to shut down the alarm did they run into issues. Issues in the form of a Sith apprentice with a nasty attitude. His skill with a Lightsaber made it quite difficult for her to use her blaster effectively, and one close call later, and Louise found herself disarmed of her toy. It was then that she decided to blow her cover and use the Force if only to save herself from being injured too greatly.

With the Force at hand, she slammed the apprentice into the computer console before frying both the Force-user and the terminal with lightening until she was sure the man was dead. Surprisingly, the alarm died with him. She was annoyed that she was forced to use the Force, but it could not be helped, so she decided to focus on the positives, that being the alarm, "Hmm, that makes things a bit easier." She mused, summoning the apprentice's lightsaber to her hand. A bit bigger than her current one, but not as large as her previous.

The familiar snap-hiss sounded as she ignited the infamous weapon (which still worked, surprisingly), giving it a few cursory swings. It was not her fit, but it would do, at least for now.

"I will never understand you Sith, constantly attacking each other instead of working together."

"Hey, I am not like that… despite this." Louise said indignantly, faltering as she looked around at the carnage she had wrought, "This… this is self-defence. The Sith already sent two assassins at me. Anyway, if I do survive to become a lord, I'm not dealing with all this backstabbing."

"Well, at least someone has some brains."

"Thank you." With that, Louise went about searching the apprentice for any items of interest such as keys or a datapad, only retroactively noting that if he had anything electrical it would be dead. Luckily, she found no such item.

The duo continued moving through the base, abandoning most thoughts of stealth. They still tried to sneak by the combat droids or packs of Imperials, but the alarm had done no favours. The only people Louise and her companion went out of their way to kill were the Force Sensitives, knowing that most if not all, were Skotia's apprentices. The act of killing off these apprentices was much easier than before considering the added bonus of having a lightsaber, but it did not mean that they went down without a fight. It also appeared that none of the Force Adapts had any such keys on them, meaning there was a different way to access the tablet.

All these thoughts were for nought, however, when they entered a room after 'interrogating' an Imperial Officer for directions to the tablet. It was a large room, that looked more like an average storage room compared to high-tech vault she was expecting. Curiously, it was quite empty, aside from a single Force-Sensitive guard and a long crate upon which a suspiciously tablet-esque object sat.

The Sensitive guard spun around, his lightsaber casting a red glow around the room, "So, you're the one who has been picking off all Darth Skotia's apprentices." He sneered.

Immediately, Louise felt as if she had underestimated the lean balding, yet youthful man before her. Nothing concise, but he did not hold himself like the apprentices she had seemed – and his comment did nothing for her courage. Less arrogant and pompous like apprentices or even some acolytes, and more knowing about their own power. Nevertheless, she remained silent to the man's question.

"I suppose you're here for the trandoshan relic?" He probed, shrugging in a gesture to the carved stone behind him. When she didn't answer, he continued, "You're no ordinary Sith, are you? You're powerful. An Assassin perhaps? Tell me who sent you and I might let you live."

 _I highly doubt that_. Louise scoffed internally, activating two of her pillaged lightsabers, one purple, one red.

"Fine then." He spat, moving into the stance of Form II, Makashi.

A single beat later, and Louise charged towards the Sith. Their lightsabers clashed as they danced around the room. Despite wanting to see the man dead before her, she could not help but admire his skill and grace with his lightsaber. She reminded him very much of a fencer, or rather her mother with her wand sword, which was par for the course with Makashi users. She would have used the same form as him, or an adaptation of the Form, but found the acrobatics that came with the later Forms to be much more _her_.

While the two were duelling, Vette was standing off, guarding both the door and waiting for the battle of the Sith to end. Both her blasters were out, ready for anything.

Suddenly, a powerful blast of Force energy shot out from her opponent like a grenade. Both Vette and Louise were slammed back, with the Twi'lek taking the brunt of the damage. Before either could recover, the Sith shot his hand out and the pinkette felt a presence manifest around her throat, lifting her from the ground and tightening. She sputtered for air, her hands trying in vain to pull the invisible force from her neck

"You know, I am starting to doubt your credibility as an assassin," he said casually, his hand tightening and tightening, "I will ask nicely one more tim-"

The sounds of blaster fire sounded off in the room. Quickly, the Sith had to reignite his lightsaber, swinging it in simple, but effective, arches as he deflected several bolts of plasma sent by Vette.

In his distracted state, his concentration faltered. Louise dropped to the floor in an undignified heap, but she pressed on. As fast as she could, she upholstered her blaster pistol from her waist and, guided both by the Force and her Runes, levelled off three bolts of plasma. Her aim was true and the Sith crumpled to the floor.

Louise coughed, hard and sickly as she rubbed her throat. _That was too close_. She thought through the pain. Looking over to where the plasma had come from, she found Vette crouching by the wall, holding her leg.

"Are you alright?" Louise tried to ask, tried to be the operative word. Instead, all that came out was another round of coughs. After a few seconds, as she willed the Force to heal her throat, she repeated her question.

"Yep, yeah!" Vette replied with a hiss, "Just got shot in the leg, no big deal."

Louise nodded mutely, deciding that speaking was probably _not_ a good idea until she recovered. Standing on shaky legs, she walked over to Vette and wordlessly help the Twi'lek to her feet. With that, she summoned the tablet and the Sith's Lightsaber.

 _Now we got to leave. Fun!_

...

As it turned out, leaving was much easier than entering, despite the grievous injury that was Vette's leg and the weight of the tablet. Louise has also found herself hard-pressed to hide all the sabers she had 'collected' with so few places to hide them without them being noticed. In the end, she gave a few to Vette to look after until they arrived back at the apartment.

On the way back, they dropped by the Rattataki to pick up their earnings; after expressing surprise that they survived, considering their lateness in returning, he handed them a briefcase filled with credits. It was a professional transaction between the three. A professional transaction interrupted by a fourth member, a Sith Lord.

He stood proudly in his dark robes with his lightsaber gleaming despite the downcast weather and his eyes – his only discernible feature – shone like blazing hellfire, "I believe praises are in order," he said imperiously, "Not only with the Quell cut a swath through the ranks of the slaves, but from what I've heard, an explosion has killed off many of the slaves and has destroyed much of their assets. I do believe that you two are to thank for this…?"

Despite the lack of prompt, Louise knew the Sith Lord was asking for their names. But her mind was far from the thoughts of being discovered, choosing to contend with the loss of life she had caused. She had suspicions, ones that were fervently ripped apart, but suspicions nonetheless. But the knowledge was a heart wrenching and harrowing experience, especially because she found that it did not really affect her as much as she would have thought. To think, the fact she was not feeling bad was worse than killing possibly hundreds of slaves.

Despite this, she answered the prompt, though the name was unexpected, especially from her lips, "Karin," she said, almost at once.

Vette, it seemed, had already relinquished a name, not that Louise had heard. Her mind was still heavy. After another short speech about clearing up the rest of the slave scum, the Sith Lord bid them adieu and left.

With their payments in hand and heavy hearts, they carried on their way to the apartment complex.

They did not bring up the Sith Lord's revelations once.

Soon they arrived at the complex, but instead of going straight to her apartment, Vette had insisted on going to Lyira's first. Louise was suspicious of this, if only for their brisk talk earlier in the day, but when she was reminded of her clothing that had been folded neatly on the Twi'lek's bed, she followed.

As always, it did not go according to plan.

Upon entering the apartment, Louise came across Khem and Lyira chatting with two people she had not seen in a very long time.

"Louise, how good it is to see- er, what happened?"

"Lord Juyn?" she said, looking to the Sith Lord sitting at the table before turning to the one sitting beside him, "Rayne?"

* * *

 **AN**

I hate, hate, _hate_ , _**hate**_ , _**hate**_ stealth scenes! For crying out loud I wish I could just find whoever thought to combine stealth and writing and strangle them to death with their own works! Well, after two months, here's another chapter... sorry about the wait, I am a terrible person. But hey, at least this shits finished so I can get back on track to finishing the next chapter and eventually get up to something that I really want to write. However, the simple fact that I had a terrible case of Writer's Block is not the only thing that has caused this chapter to wait this long, there is also the fact that I had University (The Holidays have now started) as well as me having recently bought a Star Wars Game Bundle off Steam (I now own both _Kotor I_ and _II_ , so yay!) as well as getting assimilated into the Dragon Age fandom (Recently bought _Dragon Age: Origins_ and _Awakens_ ). I have also tried to get ahead in my writings, I.E. working on _A God Among Us_ (Which you should definitely go check out on Spacebattles), a bit of _Henrietta Potter and the Secret of the Horcrux_ and some other things.


	18. (13) Reunions, Coronations and Bedmates

**Chapter 17 – Reunions, Coronations and Bedmates**

* * *

 _"_ _Lord Juyn?" she said, looking to the Sith Lord sitting at the table before turning to the one sitting beside him, "Rayne?"_

Instead of getting the, frankly unneeded, confirmation, Lyira had shot to her feet, "Is everything alright?" she asked worriedly, covering the distance of the apartment within seconds to Vette's side, "You've been shot." The Sith stated matter of factly.

"Yeah, had a run in with a stray blaster bolt," Vette tried to smile, but it was little more than a grimace, "Surprised that it only hit my leg. Injected myself with a pain stim, seems like its wearing off. Who you're friends?"

"Family and friends of the family," Lyira replied before calling, "3E!"

The kitchen door opened with a hiss and out walked a droid of similar appearance to the one that lived in Louise's apartment, "May I be of assistance, master?"

"Help me get Vette into her room and fix up her leg. It's only a blaster shot."

"Very well, master."

"I will go too, I left my robes inside." Ignoring the odd looks from the guests – or rather, just Rayne – Louise helped the droid take Vette into her room despite knowing full well that she could walk herself. Upon entering, she let the droid take care of the rest. She left the credit filled briefcase and picked up her pathetically folded robes from the bedroom draws took them in her arms.

"Vette," she called, "could I take the lightsabers off you?"

Vette nodded, and from out of two pouches on her belt, she pulled the apprentice's sabers and threw them to Louise. Said Sith caught them with the Force and hid them in her robes. She bid Vette a 'get well soon,' and left the room. Once outside, she said goodbye to the rest and headed to her apartment. She was halfway there when she realised that Khem Val was following up closely behind. The only reason she actually noticed him was because, by chance, she decided to look back. _Damn, he's sneaky_. She thought bitterly. _Should have brought him along_.

She paused in her strides and waited for Khem to join her side. Before he could even start speaking, Louise cut in, "I… apologise for not bringing you along. Your help would have been much appreciated." She did not look up at Khem.

" _I told you the Twi'lek was weak_ ," was his only reply.

Louise bit her tongue, and nodded along, "I promise I won't underestimate you again."

" _Spoken like a true Sith_ ," he said.

The rest of the journey was passed in silence. They soon arrived at the apartment where Louise immediately deposited her newly acquired sabers and got changed into her robes. The clothes she had borrowed from Lyira and Vette, she handed to the droid to deliver. Once sure the knapsack containing the relic was safely slung over her shoulders, she grabbed her robe and headed out with Khem following behind.

The streets of Kaas were bustling today, despite the weather. But Louise did not let this stop her. After a short pitstop to pick up some lunch, which she promptly devoured, they caught a skycar to the Citadel.

Through the Citadel she and Khem walked, down the halls and across the various bridges until they arrived at her master's chambers. Inside, they found Zash off by her bookshelf returning a few of her tombs to their place. The blonde Sith turned to her a smile gracing her lips, "I assume you've been successful?" she asked, "I did hear the most distressing news about a large explosion happening soon after our conversation."

Louise hid her grimace behind a smile, with one hand she pulled the aged stone relic from her knapsack before presenting it to Zash, "The explosion was me making sure the Colossus didn't come down on our heads while looking for it."

The Sith Lord's smile turned into a full-grown grin as she gingerly took the piece of trandoshan culture in hand, "I have been planning this since my apprenticeship, to finally see the fruits of my labours…"

A pang of resentment echoed in Louise's head. _I was the one who actually bled to get the piece_.

Unaware of Louise's thoughts, the blonde Sith continued, "This is only part of Skotia's defence. His greatest weakness is that he's mostly machine. The rogue Sith Lord Grathan is holding a Cyborg Expert named Dorotsech captive. But you needn't worry about this, I have received word that there was a large setback in his work due to the mechanisms of others. What we need to focus on now, is training you for your inevitable battle with the cyborg. I will be playing a larger part in your training, I expect you to adapt to the new level of difficulty you will find in our sessions."

"Yes, my master," Louise replied.

"We'll start in a few days' time. Killing all those apprentices must have been a difficult feat," Said Zash.

 _You wouldn't believe._ Louise thought.

"Go and relax for the day. I'll call you back when it is time."

Louise bowed and left her master to continue her plotting, Khem following faithfully behind. Truth be told, she felt like taking a nap; her throat was still sore from her brush with death and the day's events had been all around exhausting. She soon returned to the apartment complex, but once again, she was drawn to her friend's apartment. Entering, she found all three Sith sitting down with Vette, talking. From the looks of it, the Twi'lek's leg had been fixed up.

"Hello everyone," she greeted, "Vette, you look better."

"Is wasn't anything a little medpack couldn't handle." The Twi'lek said dismissively.

"So, Apprentice Louise," Lord Juyn began, drawing the attention of pretty much everyone in the room, "you have been making quite a bit of headway since we last met. Once you were a lowly slave, now an apprentice to a Sith Lord."

Louise smiled, "Thank you, my lord. However, I couldn't have done it if it wasn't for your guidance. But I do apologise"

"For what?"

"Me and Vette have some business to tend to," she explained, "then I'm going to go back to my apartment to get some rest."

"At this hour?" Rayne questioned.

Louise nodded affirmative, "My master had an important task that I needed to complete today," she turned the Twi'lek, "Vette, shall we split the credits?"

A strange expression crossed Vette's face then vanished, "Nah, you take them."

"Really?" Louise asked, a tad confused at the actions of the woman.

"Yeah." Vette replied tiredly.

"Alright. Khem, you can stick around, I'm just going to catch some shut eye." When Khem grunted in understanding, she slipped into Vette's room, grabbed the case and left Lyira's apartment for her own.

When she arrived at her home, she entered her bedroom and sat down on the comfy bed. Curious as to the reward for killing a bunch of slaves, Louise flipped open the briefcase and found, as she had been promised, several golden credits all lined up perfectly. But that was not all; a single use datapad strapped to the lid of the case. Taking the pad from the case, she turned it on and found a message attached. It was a formal letter that informed the holder of the amount of credits they now owned. To say she was surprised was an understatement. Once she finished reading the datapad, she threw it in the bin. It was a single use and its purpose had been complete.

All in all, Louise did not know what to think about the credits she had earned. 5,000 credits. It was a lot, quite a lot. Had she been without a home, she could have bought a nice quaint house with still some to spare. Lord Qet _really_ want to keep the entire thing under wraps. The only thought that held her back from jumping in joy, was the knowledge of how she had acquired it. For her peace of mind, she did not dwell on that fact. She closed the case and slid it under her bed. _I guess this is why Vette didn't want it._

Finally, she flopped onto her bed, bouncing ever so slightly, and soon succumbed to sleep. However, her sleep did not last; about three hours later, Louise found herself inexplicably awake. She tried to close her eyes and shut out the world, but rest would not come to her.

With an annoyed groan, she got up from her bed, not even bothering to clean herself up. She stripped herself of her clothes, replacing it with a shirt and underwear then left to the living room. With a wave, turned on the view screen; the news was on and she suddenly found herself curious. After calling her droid to get a drink of water, Louise flopped onto the couch and began watching the news.

It was a novel idea, the news, one she felt her homeworld could benefit much from. _If they got out of the Magic Age_. Louise thought neutrally. It would have been much easier to learn about the changes happening in her own country and the countries surrounding it. Now though, those thoughts were in the background; listening to news about her homeworld would be useless when she could be learning about what was happening in the Empire and Republic.

From what she saw, the Korriban Slave insurrections had been dealt with, which was... good? She did not know. There was also a note on the Cold War with several hints at small scale battles that are taking place. One such hinted battle that the Imperials are denying ever happened was the kidnapping of a Republic Ambassador. And then the news took a turn that caused ice to fill her veins.

"In more local news," the anchorman said, "an explosion had been heard from the Unfinished Colossus to the South-East of Kaas City. Reports show that it was the work of two bounty hunters, a woman by the name of Karin and an alien…"

At this moment, Louise could not help but curse. Just the thing she needed was for the news to take note of her actions. Not only that but Darth Skotia could have made a connection between the explosion and his base being put to the preverbal torch.

Louise let out a over exaggerated sigh. She turned off the viewscreen and went to her room where she quickly got changed to something decent and then set off to Lyira's apartment. She wanted to find out what Vette thought of this development.

Upon entering her friend's apartment, she found Vette sitting among Lyira, Rayne and Khem as they watched the viewscreen – intently, for Khem. Though unlike herself, they had been watching something entertaining.

"Louise?" Lyira called upon the entry of the former, "how was your sleep."

"Not long enough," she grumbled, "Have you guys heard the news?"

"No, what news?" Vette was prompted to ask as Louise had been looking pointedly at her.

"Explosion near the Unfinished Colossus." She stated.

"I tried asking Vette," Lyira said, "but she's been tight-lipped about it."

 _So Vette didn't tell anyone what I was up to.. good._ Louise had forgotten to tell the Twi'lek to be quiet. Nevertheless, Louise continued, "Well, on the news they mentioned two Bounty Hunters who blew up some slave equipment."

"Really?"

"What where they're names?" Rayne asked.

"They only mentioned one. Karin, I think. The other was an alien."

"Karin? Odd name."

"Sounds familiar…" Lyira said, looking thoughtful. But nothing came from her musings.

"Did they say much about it?" Vette asked.

"No. Apparently the news plans on finding out more." Louise explained, before quickly switching subject, "So, what are you watching?"

"Just a holodrama that was on," Lyira said dismissively, "You wanna join? We'll be ordering dinner soon."

"Yeah, I'll join." Louise said, moving between Khem and Rayne, "It's been a long time since we met, Rayne."

"Yes, it has, I've heard much about you… a bit too much if Lyira's opinion was needed." Rayne said with a quirk of the lips.

Louise felt instantly on edge as well as a pang of embarrassment that was not her own. _Since when did Rayne smirk?_ "What do you mean?"

"Hey, Rayne, didn't you have anything else to tell Louise," Lyira said, looking at her sister pointedly, "Something completely different from what you are currently thinking of telling Louise?"

"Oh, and what am I thinking, little sis?" Rayne replied, smirking victoriously. Louise knew this for what it was: bait. Éléonore used to do it all the time.

"Ah…" the younger Pureblood stopped herself from speaking.

"Come on, say it." then, the unlikeliest thing happened. Rayne laughed, "You're too fun to tease, sis. Anyway, I don't know why you're so embarrassed, according to your Dashade friend over there, she already knows." "Oh fine. As you may or may not know, I have reason to believe that my master will be granting me the title of Lord."

Lousie was pulled from her shocked state as what was said sunk in, "He is?"

"Yes. He's planning something for it as well," With that good news out of the way, it seemed the previous topic was left forgotten, which was fine by Lyira. Louise was also pleased with this considering she had a very good bet on what that tidbit of information was.

They holodrama they found themselves watching really did live up to its name as everything seemed so melodramatic. It was one of those episodic dramas that Louise found herself unable to stop watching until the season, or in the worst case, series was over. Thankfully, even she knew her limits and did not watch many. And soon enough, dinner was ordered; fast food from a restaurant a few blocks away.

Overall it was quite the relaxing time to spend the rest of her day, among friends, a grumpy Dashade and a soon-to-be Sith Lord who confused Louise.

* * *

Early in the next morning, Louise awoke to a message from Darth Paracelsus who informed her that, despite her master's mission, she still had her Alchemy lessons to do. Underneath that, was a note to bring in the little knickknacks she had created over the weeks. After the first week and a half, she had been told to make specific objects, such as some cutlery. Specifically, knives. With a sigh, she pulled herself from her bed and got ready for the day.

As luck would have it, or rather the Force, it was no longer raining. _Huzza!_ Instead, it was the perpetual stormy skies. So as she flew over Dromund Kaas, dressed in her robes with a knapsack filled with her little creations, she could enjoy the wind in her hair.

However, the therapeutic winds soon diminished when she arrived at the Hub. Disembarking the skycar, she quickly headed inside. She passed the receptionist with a pleasant 'hello', which he returned, and walked to Darth Paracelsus' office.

Inside, she found said Sith Lord meditating in the middle of the room. Through from how his head was angled, it was possible he was napping. Whatever he was doing, he soon stopped upon her entry, "Good, you got my message, and I am sure you're curious as to why I told you to bring them." He gestured to the knapsack

"Yes, my lord."

He smiled broadly, "We're going to get started on Alchemy."

Almost immediately, she was smiling broadly.

"I am sure you can remember the theory?"

"Yes, I can," Louise replied.

"Good, let's go then." In a fluid motion, Paracelsus went from sitting to standing and began to walk off. But instead of leaving the office, he walked deeper inside, opening a door she had not noticed and signalled for her to follow. Which she did.

The room was small and square lit by four familiar purple crystals which stood on thin pedestals in the corner. In the centre of the room was a small table that sat on a raised dais. All around it felt quite ominous with a low hum emanating from the crystals.

"This is my Alchemy Lab. It's not really a lab, but it's a nice place for me to work on little benign projects. Now, show me what you've got."

"Okay, my lord." She walked up to the small table and reached into her bag, pulling out the weird snake spring-thingy and placed it on the table. With a final look to Paracelsus, wondering if he had any final words or anything for her – of course, she got none – she closed her eyes and began to delve into the Dark Side of the Force.

She breathed deeply, then exhaled. She could feel the Dark Side emanating from all around her; from the planet to Paracelsus himself, and especially from the four crystals themselves. She moved her focus to her creation, using the Force to penetrate passed its outer shell and see what it was truly made from. Gathering the Dark Side from all around her like a sponge, she lashed out at the object, shooting the chaotic energies at her creation, commanding it to change to her will.

But it fought back. This was not the natural way of things. Metal did not become wood, nor did iron to gold. It was unnatural to change it. But the Dark Side cared not for these things. With the Dark Side, the Sith bent the laws of the universe, crushing it under the Forces indomitable will. But it still resisted.

Her concentration broke and her eyes snapped open. The spring sat there, unmoving, unchanged. She could see the residual Dark Side energies twist around her fingers, like little tendrils of viscous smoke.

Anger. Resentment. Frustration.

She used these emotions and summoned up a storm of the Dark Side, shooting it at the object again, willing its change. But the object still resisted.

Again and again, she tried, pressing her will up against the will of nature, but it would not relent.

"Louise," Paracelsus said, stopping her before she tried again, "you do remember that you have to have something to change the object into in mind when you perform Alchemy?"

Louise merely looked blankly at the Darth, but on the inside, she was screaming. _How could I have forgotten that! It was literally the first thing the holocron taught me!_

"Simply willing the object to change is like hitting a shield with a wide hammer," he continued, "but if you focus your desire into a finely-honed point, you will pierce it."

Despite the, in her opinion, stupid set back that she should have realised herself, she welcomed the lesson. It was, after all, a great source of negative emotion. She got back to work, this time with something in mind.

Around six hours later, Louise had managed to make a bit of headway. She was now the proud owner of a magnetic springy snake thing, not that she knew what to do with it. Darth Paracelsus had left to attend to some business on the second hour, after making sure she would not kill herself. So now she stood in the lab, levitating the magnetic spring near her knives which promptly attached themselves to the spring. She felt incredibly pleased with her work. She could also feel the lingering taint of the Dark Side on it, but it would fade in time.

Oh, and it was blue now. Alchemy was weird, in Louise's humble opinion as she changed magnetic spring into a brittle piece of metal that shattered upon being dropped. She cursed, "Great, now I have to work on my other bits."

She was about to pick up a knife, a nice little ornate piece that she felt pride at, and subject it to the altering powers of the Dark Side when the door to the workshop slid open. Inside walked Darth Paracelsus and, oddly enough, Lord Juyn, "My lords?"

"Ah, Louise," Juyn said upon entering, looking around the room with a cursory scan, "You would not believe the trouble I went through to find you."

"Is there any trouble?"

"No, Lord Juyn has something to tell you," Paracelsus said.

"No, not at all. I just came down here to ask if you would join Rayne and I at my estate," explained Lord Juyn "As my apprentice had no doubt told, I am planning on granting her the rank of Lord and I have decided to throw a little party."

Louise did not react surprised by this information. He was a Sith Lord and probably knew what his Apprentice had for dinner the night before as well. Instead, she smiled, "I would be honoured."

"Excellent. I have already check with Darth Paracelsus and your master. We shall leave after you've cleaned up here."

This information, Louise did react to. If only because it insinuated her lack of choice in the matter… or perhaps his ability at foresight? It mattered not in the grand scheme of things, especially considering what she knew of Lord Juyn's mannerisms.

"Before you go, Apprentice," Paracelsus said, "What have you accomplished?"

Louise picked up what was left of her spring, which was currently being attacked by metal bits, "I managed to make the spring magnetic... and blue… and brittle, my lord."

Despite the disappointment she felt, he smiled widely, his red eyes gleaming, "Good. I will pack away your things for your next lesson."

Louise bowed to the Darth then followed Juyn as he led her out of the Alchemy Hub where, surprisingly, she found herself being taken to a transport shuttle, "This shuttle will take us to my estate for the party."

"Uh, Lord Juyn?"

"Yes?"

"Shouldn't I get my robes from my apartment."

"You needn't worry about that, Louise. I have that covered."

With no room to argue, she boarded the ship, only to be accosted by a familiar red-skinned woman, "So this is where you go." Lyira said, looking off at the Alchemy Hub with a smirk.

"It is a wonderful sight," Louise said.

"Come on you two, let's get to the estate." The flight was short, and soon they arrived at their destination, not that she knew what the destination was. All she knew was that it was an estate, one that Lyira had apparently spent some time in before the Academy. When the ship finally landed and the ramp was deployed, Louise and Lyira followed Juyn out of the ship. Upon exiting the ship, however, Louise found herself with a severe case of déjà vu. Despite having already seen the architecture of the Sith, both old and new, she felt stumped by how… pleasing to the eye Lord Juyn's manor was.

It was by no means large, only a bit bigger than she remembered her homeworld's estate had been. Enclosed behind high walls guarded by droid guards, hid the main building built into a small mountain. Around the field between the building and the main gate, were several lightning rods – obviously one of the power sources to the manor – with a beautiful collection of native and alien flora. The manor itself looked much like the lovechild of both the ancient and modern Sith, looking as if it was originally the ruins of an old temple, remodel into a manor.

"The manor had been in my family for quite a few generations," Juyn noted as he walked up the smooth stone path to the manor.

Louise nodded along, though it was unseen by those around her. She hoped she would gain enough credits and power to build her own true home. The thought of having a legacy was tantalising, to have Sith speak her name just as they spoke of Ajunta Pall or Ragnos. But for that to happen, she would need to deal with Skotia and her master, she would need to build a powerbase, those would obey her every command and march in her name. She already had allies in Alif and Sir Dorjis, and quite possibly Sargent Cormun and the _Back Talon_.

Unknowing of the plotting thoughts of Louise, the group eventually arrived at the manor proper. Two Imperial guards bowed and opened the main door leading to the foyer.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Juyn said grandly, gesturing to the well-decorated room, "Lyira, take your friend to your old room to freshen her up, will you? The guests – your master's and companions – and of course Rayne will arrive soon."

The next second, Louise found herself being pulled into the entrance hall, despite her protests, up a curved staircase and down the hall in the west wing. There she was led into the room at the end of the hall and was finally let go.

"Lyira!?" She shouted, massaging her hand, "What was that for?"

Said Sith turned to face Louise, a smile gracing her lips until it faltered, "Oh, sorry. I got a little carried away. Got a little excited about seeing my old room."

Louise accepted the apology and looked around at the room she had been kidnapped into. It was of decent size, a bit larger than her current bedroom, and housed a double bed in the middle with a large vanity off in the corner. Instead of windows, as she was sure they were partially under a hill at the moment, there was a large viewscreen. Off near the entry door, was another door which Louise assumed was a bathroom. It was a bit bare, but from what she could understand, it had not been used.

"So, this was your old room?" Louise asked.

"Mhm. Mine until the Academy came calling. Lord Juyn had been kind enough to give me this when my sister became his apprentice," Lyira explained, flopping onto her bed, "It was nice, I got some preliminary training and somewhere to run around and have some fun. Just as comfortable as I remember."

Louise smiled at the scene of Lyira rubbing up against the bed like some kind of puppy, "It must have been nice."

"It was."

"Well, while you go reminisce, I'm going to get cleaned up. Okay?"

"Have fun!"

But before she could enter the bathroom, a knock was heard at the door. Opening it, she found a utility droid, similar to the one in her own apartment, presenting her clean and neatly folded clothes and robes. Taking the outfit without much thought, she deposited it on the vanity before heading into the adjoining room.

The bathroom was small, only containing a toilet, shower and a full towel rack. It was no bother. She quickly disrobed, littering them in the corner of the room and turned on the shower, getting it to the right temperature before washing herself. It was towards the end when she felt disturbances on the bottom floor, sensing various people entering the manor, from Force-sensitive Sith to the more mundane.

Soon, her shower was finished. She took a towel and began to dry herself down. Once adequately dry, she wrapped herself up in her towel and headed out of the room, joining Lyira who was currently meditating – thankfully clothed – on the bed. Louise passed the Sith by and headed to the vanity where she began looking for a brush. When one could not be found, she let out a sigh and went to ask Lyira, "Do you happen to know where a brush is?"

The Sith smiled mischievously, "You mean this?" she said, pulling out the brush from her lap.

"You hid it? Why?"

"Ah ah, no questions. Sit down and I'll take care of your hair." Lyira replied, wiggling the brush at her.

Louise prepared to retort but caved in. She knew it was a battle she could not win and decided to get it over with, "Fine."

With that, she took a seat on the vanity's stool and let Lyira get to work, "Louise, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut all your hair off."

"Wh- what? Why!?" asked that panicking Louise.

Lyira sighed as if the next words were going to describe some horrible catastrophe, "It's just too soft and luxurious. I'm sorry, but I am completely jealous."

"Cut my hair and I cut you."

"Woah there, might want to settle down on the threats," Suddenly, Louise could feel Lyira's breath against the back of her neck causing the Pinkette to shiver as the woman behind her spoke, "Never know if they might like it."

Louise blushed furiously, utterly mortified as she stared at the Purebloods reflection.

Upon seeing this, Lyira laughed, "I'm just joking."

"Sure you are," Louise grumbled, squirming in her seat.

Lyira laughed some more, "Oh stop that, you look too cute. It makes it difficult to not tease you."

Thankfully, it was not long before Lyira had finished brushing Louise's hair. Louise was then told to quickly get dressed so the Pureblood could style her hair, which she did post haste. Soon enough, the Pinkette was ready to see the masses, though she felt underdressed for the occasion. _Perhaps I can order a few dresses for galas_.

The duo left the bedroom and joined with the people who had congregated in the middle of the manor. The first she saw of these guests were some Imperials and a Sith Lord who's name they knew not. Nevertheless, they found some familiar people in the form of Khem Val and Vette who were standing awkwardly by two Sith Lords who were conversing. Louise found herself oddly worried that it was Lord Zash and Darth Baras who were talking, both dressed for the occasion in extravagant robes.

For Louise, who had only seen Baras in holos or on the viewscreen, she found herself extremely disappointed. She remembered seeing several recordings of him during the war and what she saw was a handsome greying man who would not look out of place as a king of some country. He held himself with the air of a powerful man who would crush those who got in his way. Now though? He looked as if he spent most of his time eating at an all-you-can-eat buffet, though she dare not vocalise her disappointment because he was still _Darth_ Baras.

Before she could overhear what her master and Baras were talking about, they turned to face Louise and Lyira, greeting them both. Surprisingly it was Darth Baras who spoke first, especially because it was to Louise, "Apprentice Louise, I am pleased to finally meet the person who has taken my apprentice's interest. I have heard much about you, from your acquisition of the holocron in Marka Ragnos' tomb to your work on the _Black Talon_."

"Darth Baras, it is an honour to meet you as well." Replied Louise, feeling oddly uncomfortable around him.

"Yes, and it is a pleasure to meet your apprentice, Darth Baras." Zash said, looking to Lyira, "I heard she managed to hold her own against one of those beasts in Ragnos' tomb."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Zash." Lyira replied, bowing respectfully before turning to regard her master, "Master, may I ask why you are here? I thought you had important work to do."

"I've decided to give our _guest_ some alone time."

Louise really did not want to know what Darth Baras meant by that, and thankfully she did not need to listen in to this conversation as after the Darth finished his sentence, Lord Juyn made an appearance, "Lords and Imperials, I do welcome you to the Eros' Estate. If you would all enter the ballroom."

And as if on cue, a large double door at the back of the entry hall opened permitting entry for all. After a moment's pause, guests started filling in. Louise followed blindly along, vaguely aware that she should be beside her master just as Lyira was beside Darth Baras. The ballroom was quite spacious, with a podium at the very end. The walls were covered in décor, some aged paintings, other being relics of time since passed.

Blindly following Zash, Louise inexplicably found herself standing on the sidelines while many of the non-Sith congregated in the centre, leaving a aisle down the centre of the room. Despite her diminished height – she might have had a growth spurt, but she was still short – she could see most of the guests. And, as she noticed, most of them were low ranking Imperials with quite a few non-Imperials grouping together. It was quite diverse for a Sith ceremony, no matter how unofficial it was.

The low hum that permeated the hall soon hushed as Lord Juyn and the lady of the occasion entered gracefully. They both moved to the end of the room, however, only Juyn stood upon the podium. Rayne stood before him and was wearing her customary scowl – _a public image._ Louise supposed. She dressed in an impressive amalgamation of robes and armour that still had the formal grace one would expect from nobility.

With merely a look from his blazing eyes, Lord Juyn silenced the room who all stood to attention.

"Kneel, Rayne Arren," he commanded to which the Pureblood obeyed, "You started out your life as the firstborn daughter of the late Darth Vox. From there, you lost it all to the Jedi and Republic. Plucked from the streets, you were trained by the Overseers of Korriban; broken and reforged by your trials into a weapon. You killed when you were ordered and tortured when you were told. When I looked upon you, I saw a being who would become a great Sith, and you took that title through blood!'

'Under my guidance, you took the tenets of the Sith and emulated them. You saw firsthand the plague that is the Republic, the Jedi. You learned that Peace was a Lie and that it was only through Passion that you could gain Strength and thus Power. Those with power lead with strength and purpose, while the weak follow in servitude, suffering a meagre, worthless existence. It is a game we Sith have played for millennia and one I have seen you embody.'

'Now you stand before us," at this, Rayne rose, "and I see someone who is worth to take the next step. By the will of the Sith Empire, you have been granted the title of Lord. Bow now before Lord Rayne, heir of house Arren!"

While Louise knew she did not need to kneel before the newly christened Lord Rayne, she did bow deeply enough to be respectful, but not deep enough to be subservient. It was the little things she had noted about the Sith Empire in the year she had been here. She also noted that the other 'VIPs' also bowed to Rayne, aside from the Darths who only inclined her head. She could just hear Lord Zash mutter about how eccentric Juyn was.

"Now, if you would join me in the dining hall, we will be serving a nice supply of drinks and food." And food and drinks there were. An entire buffet had been prepared of varied tastes. Both savoury and sweet, native Sith cuisine and foods from other cultures. It was pleasant experience that reminded her of the galas she would partake in. Unlike those galas where she would occasionally speak to some of the guests, Louise found herself either attached to Zash or Lyira. There were times when someone was near enough for her to strike up a conversation, but other than that, she felt unsure of herself. She berated herself for this, of course, considering her earlier thoughts of building a powerbase.

 _At least Khem is enjoying himself_. She thought watching the behemoth peruse the buffet looking quite nightmarish to those around him. She turned around to go find Lyira, only to find herself face to face with Lord Juyn, "My Lord," she said a bit quickly, feeling a bit unnerved by his impish looks.

"I do hope you are enjoying the party, Apprentice Louise," he replied.

Louise smiled, "Yes, I am. It reminds me of home,"

"Yes, I remember. Once a noblewoman, now a member of the prestigious Sith Order." He paused, "I have been meaning to talk to you since we first met the day before, but it seems we've both been quite busy."

"What did you wish to talk about?"

"You, of course. While our correspondence had tapered off during your training on Korriban, I have kept an eye on you."

"Oh?"

"Yes, and I have been quite impressed," Juyn praised, "You overcame all the suicidal challenge that fool of an Overseer threw at you; retrieving holocrons that had been thought to be impossible to touch, braving untouched tombs, assassination attempts. And despite all the hush hush, I heard you were critical in the acquisition of a defecting General. I knew I saw something in you on Eelu-3. I just wanted to know how you're settling in, in the wide galaxy."

"Well, despite my trials and _Harkun's_ idiocy, I found my stay enjoyable. It's not too unlike my homeworld, but it was so much more than my home was ever."

"Really? How so?"

"On my homeworld, my life was limited," Louise began, "I was the daughter of a Duke, and before I was… before all this," she gestured wildly, "my choices were looking narrow. Either I was going to be pulled from the Academy and turned into a wife who's only purpose was to produce heirs, or I was to be disowned and dishonoured, let out into the world with nothing. With the Sith, the Empire… I was given choices, freedoms. With the Sith, only my passions, my strength and power matter…" The two continued to converse for quite a while about various topics such as the new, her thoughts on Dromund Kaas and what Lord Juyn had been doing for the Empire – not much, really. Mostly he had been securing allies and training Rayne while doing missions for the Empire.

After the conversation, they stuck around only a bit longer; Zash and Baras had left at some point during her conversation, each with important business to deal with. But soon, Louise felt like she had overstayed her welcome and wanted to leave. Fortunately, Lyira had invited her sister and Louise to join her at her apartment where they could continue the party, if a bit more privately. Louise accepted the invitation, of course, along with _Lord_ Rayne and Vette. Khem, one the other hand, decided he had enough of parties and wanted to go to bed.

The after-party was a quiet affair, with the three enjoying some leftovers they stole from thebuffet, and some niceholodramas… and then Rayne ordered a Keg of Corellian alcohol and the night just went downhill from there.

* * *

Kaas City never slept… in fact, Louise wasn't sure that any city or settlement on the Sith Capital Planet slept. There was always someone running around doing something or ordering droids to do their job for them. There were always Sith planning and plotting in the middle of the night, hunched over their desks with maps and datapads and holocrons sprawled over their desks (Case in point, Zash was in the middle of finalising her plans with dealing with Dorotsech while doing a little light reading on the side; a trashy romance novel to be exact, a secret she would drag to her grave). However, only approximately ten to twenty percent of the planet actually stayed up this late, the rest were normal people who went to bed at normal times and cursed silently when a skycar zoomed by or an explosion was heard.

Louise was one of these people.

Currently, she was enjoying, in the most twisted definition of the word, her dream. Laying before her was a droid, at least she thought it was a droid. It was badly injured, horribly so, but it still functioned. It looked up to Louise, one of its eyes dead, but the other expressed so much anger. The thing spoke, its voice distorted by a metallic twang, but she could not understand a word it was saying. But she knew it to be a warning.

The scene changed. Screams of anguish tore through the air, blood painted the stone ground and blaster fire was flying to and fro. In the middle of it, Louise was hacking and slashing with an axe drenched in the life blood of those that dared to enslave her.

Then all she could see were two familiar yet alien eyes looking at her with pain. Pain and suffering. They stared down into her very soul, and she could not help but stare back. Back into those fiery yellow eyes. The eyes turned blue and wispy – a face became visible. Just like the eyes before, it was familiar yet alien. A mask that perverted the image of a skull. Where once were yellow eyes, were now sockets of void, and in a voice, cold and commanding, it said, "Come find me."

In the end, two arms wrapped around her from behind, comforting her in the darkness. She welcomed them. She turned to face this being who had touched her so, and hugged back.

Then she woke and all she could see was red and all she felt was pain.

She tried to speak, to question what was happening but all that came from her dry mouth out was a muffled grunt and a groan. It felt like her head was going to split in two. She knew something was wrong and her mind tried telling her that she was not alone in her bed, but her head protested to much.

It was then, that she noticed that the red felt oddly fleshy on her nose and lips. She tried to move, but found that she was stuck, entrapped by something humanoid. Her bodily-awareness told her that she was hugging something fleshy and red, that there was something between her legs that she had entwined. It was at this point she started freaking out because she only knew two people who were red and humanoid.

She did not know what was worse, the thought of waking up in Lyira's arms, or her sisters. Not that the headache was helping. The body moved, groaning in its sleep. Arms tightened and the thing between her legs, which was most defiantly another leg, moved.

Suddenly, everything stilled. The body she was hugging tensed.

Then it got worse, "Louise?" the drowsy voice of Lyira asked, "What are you doing in my bed and why does it feel like my head was runover by a starship?"

At this point, Louise's only thought process was to abort, and abort she did. While many Force-sensitives would the Force push ability at a target, usually something in their way or an enemy, it was common, though not spoken, knowledge that the Force-User could use the ability on themselves. And so, with all the emotions and pain she was feeling, Louise used the Force to fling herself from Lyira's bed.

She hit the floor hard enough to leave a bruise, but did not care for the spike of pain, her head felt worse. Sluggishly, she looked look at her friend, who was currently sitting up in her bed… wearing nothing. Immediately, Louise looked down, not to avert her eyes from the sight, but to check to see if she was wearing anything. Luckily, she was. Unfortunately, it was only a shirt a few sizes too large for her… and it was the only article of clothing she was wearing. The floor was cold.

Louise looked between herself and the Sith Pureblood in the bed, her mind coming to the most extreme conclusion she could fathom in her impaired state, "Did… did we? Did we…?"

Lyira's reaction was not helpful, "I… don't know… did we?" She looked just as confused and terrified as Louise.

"What, exactly, happened last night?" Louise asked rubbing her head.

"I… don't know?" Lyira replied numbly, "We… uh, were drinking and celebrating… then… I don't know… a keg was involved… that much I remember."

Louise groaned, "What time is it?"

"Around nine."

Louise looked around the room, "Where are my clothes?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, okay… from what I can sense, Vette and your sister aren't in the apartment," Louise said, "We go out, find my clothes and never speak of this to anyone."

"Yes. Especially to my sister," Lyira then hopped out of bed and ransacked her draws. By the time she was finished, she had put on a shirt and some panties, "Come on," she said, looking just as pained as Louise, "let's find your clothes before Vette comes back."

Louise nodded numbly. She felt like asking Lyira if she could have something to cover her bottom half, but she knew the answer considering the vastly differing widths of their hips. So instead, she held the shirt down and followed Lyira to the bedroom door. The door slid open with a hiss, and Louise and Lyira froze. Sitting down on the couch, which appeared to have moved to face the bedrooms, having a quiet conversation was Rayne and Vette. Upon hearing the hissing sound of the door, the two stopped and turned to look at the two petrified apprentices.

"Looks like the lovebirds are awake," said Vette, looking slyly at the two.

"Apprentice Louise," Rayne said, a scowl etched on her features, "what have you done to my sister?"

"I-I… but…" Louise looked to Lyira for support but found that she looked absolutely mortified.

"No, not but's." _Lord_ Rayne said seriously, "You have deflowered my sister, now you have to take responsibility. No, dot say a word. We'll have to organise the wedding first thing tomorrow."

"Wedding!?" Lyira and Louise yelled simultaneously.

It was at this moment, Louise considered how much force it would take to smash through the windows. They were awfully high up, the drop would definitely kill her. _I could make sure of it if I land on my head…_ Unbeknownst to her, Lyira was having a very similar thought.

Only, it was not to be as, upon looking at the longing expression on both their faces as they stared at the window, Rayne and Vette broke into howling laughter. This only proved to confused the two scared teens who looked on at the dying Twi'lek and Pureblood as laughter forbid them to breathe.

Soon, however, they managed to calm down enough for Vette to explain, "Don't look so serious. Nothing actually happened."

"What." It was less a question and more of a statement from both.

"I was here all night. You two didn't do anything. Slept like rocks."

"Explain, now," Louise demanded.

"So bossy," Vette said, "Wouldn't you want your robes first?"

"Where are they?"

"You spilt some alcohol on them. They got dirty," she explained, "I asked 3E to wash them for you. 3E, bring out the robes!"

"Yes, master!" a synthetic voice called out from the kitchen. The next moment, Louise was being presented a bundle of her clothes, boots, lightsaber and other utilities, neatly folded and clean. She took the bundle in hand and nodded jerkily at the droid before slinking into Lyira's room to get changed. Once content that she would not embarrass herself, she left the room and stood next to the half nude Lyira. Despite seeing the contrary, it was quite difficult to put it in her mind that the severely embarrassed girl beside her was wearing something under her long shirt, "Explain."

"Should you, or I?" asked Vette.

"I will…" Rayne said, and explain she did. The Sith Lord when on to explain the night, how they celebrated the newly christened Lord status with food and drink. Louise knew this, of course, considering she was there, however, what the Pureblood explained next was something she did not, in fact, remember. Lord Rayne described how a keg of alcohol had been brought in which, somehow, lead to a drinking contest between Louise and Lyira which ended in the two getting so drunk that Louise thought that they were in Lyira's apartment, not her own.

What happened next, just flushed the already red-faced Apprentice even more. As the night went on, she had decided to go to bed, but, as she believed she was in her own apartment, she crawled into Lyira's bed. Lyira was unfazed by the development and went to bed as well.

Louise, of course, was not pleased by this, "and you let us?"

"Well... we were going to stop you before you did anything you would regret," Vette said, "but then we soon realised that you both were out cold."

"So, what was with the show when we woke up?" Lyira asked, voicing her thoughts for the first time since waking up.

"Payback," Vette said simply.

Louise was the one to respond, "Payback for what?"

"I got shot because of you." Vette retorted.

"Well… that's not my fault… you should have moved." Louise grumbled. Vette merely gave the Pinkette the _Look_ , cause the Apprentice to squirm in place. Choosing to 'forgive and forget', she said, "So… we didn't do it?"

"You sound so disappointed." Vette quickly regretted speaking her mind as a blaster was levelled at her head, "Hey, hey, don't shoot. You didn't do it. Believe me, these walls are thin. I would have heard."

Despite the slight hiccup of waking up in someone else's bed, and that person being Lyira, and the hangover. The morning was quite relaxing.

And then she remembered that she had training today.

"Kark!" she hissed, nursing a hurt hand after she indulged in the sudden desire to punch a wall.

* * *

 **AN**

Just realised that Eros is the Greek God of Sexual Attraction... no, Juyn is not a sexual deviant. I actually got the name from Jyn Erso from _Rogue One_. In fact, I don't plan on going any further with the 'lewd' or 'spiciness' of the story currently. No Smut. This was also written like this because shit gets serious in the next chapter... perhaps I can merge the Blade of Woe chapter (chapter 19) into the next one? Eh...


	19. (14) Preparations and Assassinations

**Chapter 18 –** **Preparations and Assassinations  
**

* * *

Deep in the Dromund Kaas jungles, a figure paced impatiently. His features were obscured by a full suite of sleek dark grey and black armour which showcased his lean figure. A sniper rifle hung from his back and by his side were a pair of blasters.

In his hand was a strange device which he occasionally juggled out of boredom. It was rectangular, looking much like a remote control, but whereas those were sleekly designed, this looked experimental with the occasional wire sticking out and not too perfect welds.

The sound of snapping twigs and rustling bushes alerted him to the arrival of two hooded figures; one, a veritable giant and the other, a smallish humanoid who walked with a limp. The giant stood just out of the perimeter while the smaller figure came forwards, standing two heads smaller than the armed man, "It was about time you arrived," he said, his voice distorted by his mask. But the underlining irritation was palpable.

The hooded figure ignored him, "Do you have the device?"

"Yeah, I got the Neutralizer," he replied, "Though I'm not sure what use you're going to get out of it. Dorotsech said it's only a one-shot weapon, too expensive for mass production. Not that he's going to be producing anything anymore." A chuckle followed his statement soliciting a glare from the hooded figure, not that he noticed.

"Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yeah," he continued, "You have to get in close to use it. He mentioned that it was commissioned to use against cyborgs. But apparently, it would only be useful against a cyborg who's fifty present cybernetics, but most are only ten. Don't know what you're planning, and I don't want to know, but I hope it was worth it." The armed man held out the experimental device to the hooded figure.

"Thank you," the hooded figure replied, taking the device in hand. She turned to leave, but hesitated, "and…" she sighed, "Je suis sincèrement désolée."

The man looked confused for a moment, not understanding what she said. He went to ask for clarification, but before he could, the forest was bathed in an amber light at the sound of a snap-hiss. The next second, he felt as if a white-hot rod had been shoved through his chest.

The last thing he could remember, was the searing pain and a pair of eyes that flashed golden in the light, gazing down at him sadly.

Louise looked down at the man she had just killed. He had helped her, retrieved an item crucial to the assassination of Skotia, and she had killed him in cold blood, just as he had. All because Zash did not want any loose ends. Resentment burned inside.

Deactivating her lightsaber, she let the man down softly. She crossed his arms and closed his eyes. With a snap of her fingers, she summoned a ball of flame and moulded it into a blanket to encase the man. His body burned at a steady pace, the flames becoming darker and more ravenous as she fed her resentment into it.

Soon, his entire body had been devoured by the fire. Focusing on the crimson flames, she willed it to dispel. It fought against her, wanting to consume, spreading out and charring the ground and flora nearby, but she wrestled control of the weak emotion fuelling it and killed it.

It was the best she could do for him.

She turned to face Khem Val who stood stoically in the background, "Let's go."

Khem nodded his head and the two walked back to their parked speeder. They then set off towards the Citadel.

Three weeks had passed since Rayne had been granted her lordship, and in those weeks, stress had been a constant companion in both body and mind. Training had increased several tiers in difficulty with Zash and Krillis pushing her in her physical prowess to her abilities in the Force. The limp was a by-product of this, though a day's rest and it would heal up.

Nights had been taken up by research, plotting and games of 'find the bruise'. Alchemy had been softer for her, but she drove to push forwards in Alchemy just as with her training.

All this and worrying about the Skotia's expanded interest focusing directly on her… or rather Karin. Louise still could not believe that her ruse had worked so well, despite what her master had told her two weeks ago:

"Louise, if you would follow me to my office?" Zash had said after an 'improved' training lessons.

"Yes… master." Louise replied, rubbing her wrist which had been twisted to near breakage by Zash. Despite feeling like her entire body was dying, she dutifully followed her master into the latter's office.

Upon entering, the Sith Lord turned gracefully to face her apprentice, "I have some good news, my apprentice."

"Did Darth Skotia have a stroke?" Louise joked.

Lord Zash chuckled, "No if he had I would have been most upset. So much planning and plotting only for the monster to die in such an easy way," she said smiling, "No, my sources tell me that Skotia has been hunting someone. Someone you might know."

"Who?" the Pinkette asked quickly, her previous amusement gone.

"She's a bounty hunter," Zash supplied, "one who Darth Skotia thinks is tied to the missing Trandoshan relic. Karin, I believe her name was."

"That doesn't sound like good news." Louise murmured.

Zash chuckled at her apprentices put out state, "Yes, while he may have set his eyes upon your alias – again, I must thank you for that – It is the fact he thinks that this 'Karin' is a third-party that is the good news. He will keep looking for her, letting us work without much threat."

The Pinkette still did not think it was a good idea, and that Skotia was hunting down her alias. It was still her, just under a different name. Even to this day, she felt as if she could feel Skotia's cybernetic eyes watching her. Heck, she was surprised, or rather, worried that she had not met up with another one of the Cyborg's assassins.

Shaking her thoughts of paranoia away, she disembarked her speeder bike as she had arrived at her destination. She gave an order to the droid valet to take care of the bikes, then began to walk through the familiar halls of the Citadel. Soon, Louise and Khem entered her master's office.

Zash, who had been perusing her bookshelf, turned to Louise, her eyes alight with anticipation, "Tell me, my apprentice," she asked excitably, "Are you successful? Did you get the tech?"

Louise nodded, pulling the device from her belt, "Yes, master. I have acquired the Neutralizer."

"Fantastic. Magnificent. Perfect," if the words coming from Zash's mouth were not enough proof, the childlike glee in her eyes told Louise exactly how pleased the Sith was as she took the Neutralizer in hand, "Then the only thing left to do is to kill Skotia. Unfortunately, my spies have informed me that Darth Skotia has been looking around for Karin. So, he's off planet at the moment."

A smile graced Louise's lips. _More time to prepare_.

Zash handed back the device, "Take the Neutralizer, keep it safe. When Skotia is on-world, I will inform you via holocom. For now, make sure you are prepared."

Still smiling, Louise bowed and went to leave, but paused as something crossed her mind, "Master?"

"Yes, my apprentice?"

"How am I to assassinate Skotia?" she asked, "We have the tablet and the Neutralizer, but where is this all going to take place?"

"Why, in his office, of course," Zash replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Louise goggled, "In… his office? In the Citadel? The _Emperor's_ home?"

"Don't worry," the blonde Sith replied, waving her hand flippantly, "I've been plotting this for years, slowly working my way to this point. I've dealt with all the issues such as surveillance both with technology and the Force. As long as Skotia doesn't leave his office, and I have a plan to ensure that the doors are locked, you will be completely fine. Aside from fighting Skotia, of course."

Once again, Louise could feel the oncoming effects of a headache, but all Louise could do was follow her master's instructions. That, and hope beyond all measure that her master was not just using her as cannon fodder against the Cyborg.

* * *

Two days later, and Darth Skotia still had not returned to Dromund Kaas, though Louise continued to not mind the Sith Lord's extended vacation. At the moment, her mind was focused on her training in Sith Sorcery, trying to make the Dark Flames more obedient. That is until Darth Paracelsus had asked her to visit the Hub via her holocom.

Now she was standing in the Darth's office, confused as to whether she should wake the master alchemist from his nap. She stood at the entrance of the door for a few moments, occasionally shifting on her feet. Really, it was quite strange that the Sith Lord would be napping right after calling for her. She was not sure if she should be concerned or not. He was either incredibly slothful or there was something extremely wrong with him.

Her musings were interrupted, however, when Paracelsus' tired voice drifted over, "You're early… how long have you been here?"

"Sorry, my Lord. I got over here around twenty minutes after your call."

He checked his datapad, "I was hoping for a short nap before you arrived," he yawned, "No matter. I have decided that now would be the best time for your test to begin."

Louise paused, "My test?"

"You've been making progress, so I want you to forge your Sith Sword today," Paracelsus answered.

"My Lord, are you sure I am ready?" Louise asked, her voice uncertain as doubt seeped into her mind.

Paracelsus stood up from his desk, slowly and deliberately. He then walked to Louise until he stood directly in front of her, towering over intimidatingly, "Are you questioning my judgment, apprentice Louise?"

"No, my lord," Louise replied quickly.

"Then follow." Despite her misgivings, she grinned. If Darth Paracelsus said she was ready, then she was ready. Now excited, Louise followed the Darth into the workshop where she assumed she would be working. However, all her enthusiasm quickly evaporated upon getting a proper look of the room.

She could recognise many of the needed materials for forging the blade, as well as the Svolten Rhyolite – a fine-grained blue whetstone harvested on the planet Svolten – which was used to give the Sith Sword an eternally sharp blade. However, most of this was background clutter compared to the unconscious boy strapped to a torture table.

Malnourished with a sickly pallor, the boy looked no older than thirteen. What was worse was the nigh-unreadable brand on his face. It was obvious the boy was a slave. The simple through made her felt sick.

"What is he here for?" Louise asked almost immediately, dreading the answer.

"He's an ingredient," Paracelsus answered with a casual wave of the hand, "You do remember that the last and most important step is to submerge the blade in a trough of blood spilt in anger…"

Whatever Darth Paracelsus was going to say, Louise did not hear. As if her veins had been filled with ice Louise's blood ran cold at the explanation. _An… Ingredient?_ It echoed in her ear for several moments. _No_ , _no!_

Louise spun around, fast enough that her hair whipped her face, to tell Paracelsus that she could not, would _not_ ever use a slave like that. Especially not a child. But Paracelsus was gone. Looking around, she found herself standing in the workshop alone. It was at this part she wished she had heard the latter half of what the Sith Lord had said.

Louise's eyes wandered over the room, looking at the tools and ingredients available. Even the slave.

The sound of a heartbeat could be heard in her ear. It did not take long for her to realise it was hers.

She had no idea what to do. This was the last thing she had ever expected to happen. The Pinkette had gone through the instructions on how to forge and create the Sith Sword until she had it memorised. All one needed was a strong attachment to the Dark Side – attained through meditation – knowledge and understanding of Sith Alchemy and how it affected metals and other such materials, and finally a binding agent, one that would tie the Dark Side permanently to the blade. Blood spilt in anger. There were many optionals, but they were the basics.

It was that final part that had occasionally invaded her thoughts. Where was she supposed to get blood spilt in anger? Who was she to kill? Louise knew that her list of people that she hated, and therefore could get a proper amount of anger flowing, was low – Harkun and Skotia being the main two. Naturally, she assumed it would be something she and Paracelsus would discuss. Apparently, she was wrong.

She turned to the door. Part of her wished to just walk out of the room and leave the Alchemy Hub. But she felt that it would not end well for her, not at all. Louise thought of talking to Paracelsus about it, to ask him for a different… _ingredient_ , but even that presented its own set of problems. Who was to say that he would see this as a weakness and shut the entire session down. _Selfish_. It still left the issue of the slave.

Slowly, Louise began to pace around the room, emotions flurrying around like a miniature hurricane. She knew she needed to calm down, to clear her head and focus her emotions. With a sigh, she sat on the floor and began to meditate.

She focused on her feelings, honing them to a fine point. But it proved difficult. In the peripheral of her senses, she could feel the presence of the slave. The faint presence filled with so much hurt and pain. Louise pushed through this, ignoring the youngling to attain clarity.

Despite the gruelling nature of her task, her goal was soon complete. Her emotions under were wrap, but it did not help much at all. She still felt confused as to what to do. With nothing else do to, she opened herself up into the Force and let it guide her to a decision.

"What do you think you're doing, Louise?" A cold and frightening familiar voice asked.

Louise snapped around, gawking at the woman before her, "Mother!?"

"Look at yourself, look at what you're doing." The visage of her mother seethed. It was just as she had remembered her, tall and proud with her long hair tied up in a similar fashion to Louise. She was even dressed in the last outfit the Apprentice had seen her mother in, a casual purple and white gown.

Louise's eyes narrowed, seeing through the ruse, "You're not real," she hissed, feeling a wave of heat crawl up her arms, "You're just an illusion."

"Is that any way to talk to me?"

She paid the illusion's comments no heed and deflected the subject, "Part of me wondered why you were absent from Lord Kressh's tomb. Begone, apparition. I don't have time for this."

The illusion of her mother scoffed, "If I knew that this is what you would become, I would have removed you from the Academy myself."

"Shut up. You're not my mother."

"You always were a disgrace, bringing the Valliere family down with your diseased magic," The illusion of her mother continued, "Year after year I spent pooling resources into you so you could find a cure to your disease. What did I get in return? A monster. You forsook your name, your family, your country and the Founder. Now you take up arms with monsters and slavers, murderers and psychopaths."

Anger flared up as she glared down her mother. "You know nothing," she said through gritted teeth.

"Do I? I know more than you think. Here you stand in a workshop in which horrors and abominations are created, a slave lays unconscious and at your mercy. And what do you do? You sit upon the floor and do nothing, you wait as if the answer will fall from the sky like a gift from the Founder! Apathy is Death."

"Enough!" Louise shouted, blasting the illusion into the workshop equipment.

"No! You sealed that child's fate the second you reached out to the Force for answers. It's time to pay for your betrayal, monster." It cried as Louise blasted it with lightning in a fit of rage, "If you are going to kill me, don't use your blasphemous Force," the illusion hissed.

Louise felt something heavy and metallic fill her hand. Looking down, she saw a blade, a long and wickedly sharp dagger. It did not take long for Louise react.

Without a second thought, Louise rushed forwards and let the runes guide the dagger. It slid easily between the fourth and fifth rib, right to the heart. Flesh parted easily, and blood began to flow.

"You will always be a slave. To others, to your whims, to your lack of strength." The illusion growled with its dying breath, "You will be rewarded as a traitor deserves one day."

The visage of her mother then melted away as she twisted the blade until all that was left was the slave boy. No longer was he unconscious, but awake, looking at Louise with his dull blue eyes as blood pooled from the wound around her hand. As if the blood had a mind of its own, it crept onto the dagger, then began boiling as the Alchemy took effect, but all Louise could focus on was the boy's eyes as she died.

The body became limp, only being kept up by the straps on the table.

A hiss of the door opening heralded Paracelsus' entry to the scene, "You were meant to bleed it out into a trough to bathe the blade into. Not stab it. But I felt that it worked either way," the man said, his disapproval glaringly obvious, "May I see the blade?"

Louise did not even notice she had pulled the blade out as she handed it to her teacher. As she did this, her eyes wandered over the workshop, noting how everything, from the forge to the whetstone, had been moved and showed signs of use. _Did… I do this_. She thought numbly, her breathing speeding up.

"It's a bit short, more like a dagger than anything else…" he noted analytically, "Though it's no issue. The atypical design is strange, but I think that would be points in your favour." He sighed, looking at Louise who stood staring down at her bloody hands, "The ritual must have taken a lot out of you, but it is no matter. You've passed the test and we can begin the more biological aspects of Alchemy. We'll start when you're ready. For now, you may go."

He handed back the dagger, which Louise took with a habitual 'thank you'. With a bow, though there was a certain mechanicalness to it, she turned around and left the room. Her legs carried herself quickly across the halls of the Alchemy Hub, passing room after room, ascending floor after floor until she arrived at the reception room. When the receptionist acknowledged her existence, she ignored him. Soon she found herself standing outside the main building. She pulled up her hood and stalked away from the Hub, passing the transit station, and walked deep into the jungles.

From around her, she could feel many of the creatures that crawled through the trees, most of them carnivorous or aggressively territorial, yet none bothered her. After a few minutes of non-stop walking, she stopped her foot a good inch from a root which would have tripped her.

In her blood-soaked hands, she could sense the dark presence that seeped from the dagger. Tendrils of cold comfort tried to wrap around her like a child would its mother.

She threw the dagger away as if it had burned her, stepping back away from it.

She tried to turn around to leave, leave and never return, but she could not. She could feel the dagger calling for her to stop. Calling for her to take it back.

Louise growled as she tried to ignore the call, the stupid infuriating call. Lightning arched from her fingers as her emotions ran to new heights and tears began falling from her eyes.

A scream of anguish tore from her throat which the Force acted upon. Nearby trees creaked and splintered as the overwhelming energies of the Dark Side displaced the very air around her.

Suddenly sapped of energy, she sunk to her knees, crying. Yet the dagger still called.

...

When Louise returned to her apartment, dagger in hand, she headed straight for the bathroom. She felt dirty, her hands covered in dirt glued by partially dry blood. But it was more than that, more than just a physical sense of dirtiness. When she entered, she dropped the blade from her hand. It clattering to the ground and her clothes soon joined it.

She stepped into the shower, twisting the handles without care for the settings.

As the hot beads of water cascade against her back, she began to try and wash the dried blood from her hands. At first, she just rubbed her hands together, to try and remove the dirt and blood, but it would not go quietly. Rubbing turned to scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing away at her hands, even when all the blood was gone, she continued. Scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing, she could still feel the blood of the youngling staining her hands, even when they became raw and bled themselves. Her nails dug into her flesh as she tried to claw the dirtiness from her hands.

Tears intermingled with the shower water. Her hands stung from the pain and heat, the salt reacting with the self-caused injuries, but even then, she did not stop. A flash of anger and she slammed her fists onto the metal floor. Pain spiked, but it was nothing compared to what she felt inside. It was as if part of her very being had withered and died.

Minutes pass, but Louise did not notice. She screamed and cried, yet the walls were too thick for anyone to hear.

The bathroom door hissed open, but Louise did not heed it. Only when the shower was turned off and four arms wrapped around her, pulling her, did she move. Her arms flailed, fighting against whoever was grabbing at her, screaming for them to let her go, but their grips were unrelenting.

Voices called for her to calm down, that she was okay and safe. After a towel was wrapped around her, two hands cupped her face, pulling her to look up at the intruders.

A beautiful face, one of red skin and green eyes, marred by fright. Lyira…? Lyira was speaking, her voice panicked as she asked repeatedly, "Louise, speak to me. What happened? Louise?"

Louise did not respond, averting her eyes from her friend. Unfortunately, her pink eyes found themselves drawn to the innocuous blade which lay on the cold unforgiving floor.

Vette noticed, picking up the dagger and looking over it, "This is a Sith's blade." She noted, "Where did you get…? You made it?"

Louise did not bother asking how she knew about her alchemy lessons and nodded wordlessly. A painful lump formed in her through as Lyira continued to ask what was wrong.

"I had to- I killed-" Louise tried to answer, but the painful lump made it difficult.

"Who did you kill?" Lyira asked.

Louise took a deep breath, and replied, "Soaked in a trough of blood spilt in anger."

"Louise, who did you kill?" Lyira pressed.

"I don't know his name," Louise replied through choked sobs, "He… he was only a youngling. A- a… a slave."

"What?"

"I… I killed a youngling slave!" _He was just a kid. He had family…_

"Start from the beginning. Please. Can you do that for me?" Lyira asked, her voice begging, "Come on, we'll dry you up and get you to your room."

"Please… leave me alone."

"Loui-" Lyira's voice died and Vette gasped sharply when Louise looked up at them, her eyes pleading. The Pureblood returned the look, downcast, "Okay, we'll go. If you need anything, please come speak to us."

With a final comforting rub of the shoulder, Lyira stood up from beside Louise and took Vette from the room.

...

Louise sat on her bed, the lights off and the blinds barring any light from entering the room. Her hands were wrapped in kolto soaked bandages that itched uncomfortably. Yet, she did not scratch. Now that she had calmed down, the painful stinging of her raw hands was not worth it.

It had been two hours since Lyira and Vette intruded unexpectedly, and she had been alone for the entire time. Khem had, thankfully, been absent from the house, something she had noticed he had been doing lately. Though, he would always return in the afternoon, as it was now.

Muffled, but still audible, the front door hissed open, permitting Khem's entrance. Through the Force, she could sense the Dashade, he had not moved from the entryway and she felt… curiosity from the being. Suddenly, he moved, and if she strained her hearing, she could make out the sounds of his feet against the metal floor.

A knock sounded on door, and Louise turned wordlessly towards the metal sheet. With a careless wave of the hand, she activated the door panel with the Force, revealing Khem Val, dressed up and armed.

"Hello, Khem, is there something you wanted?" Louise asked, her voice quiet.

" _Something has changed_ ," He noted, his gaze piercing as it scrutinised the bandages on her hands and the puffiness of her eyes.

Louise knew what he was referring to. Aside from her appearance, everything around her seemed so subdued and muted since… before. Regardless, the Pinkette ignored that and decided to ask, "Where have you been?"

" _I was hunting_." At once, Louise understood. He must have been restless with the lack of things to do. Unlike her, he did not have prior commitments; waking in the unknown future and bound to a little girl, he had no friends, no goals, no nothing. Only her.

Khem turned to leave, assuming their short exchange was over, but curiosity got the better of her, "Khem," she called, stopping the behemoth from leaving. She hesitated, trying to figure out how to word her question. After a pregnant pause, she did ask, "did Tulak Hord ever regret anything?"

Khem Val turned to regard Louise for a moment, " _Tulak Hord never regretted anything, Pink Sith. He did not believe in the self-destructive nature of regret._ "

"Could you tell me about him?" For a moment, Louise felt- feared, that he would just leave her there, but with a sigh, the giant moved into her room proper and sat on her bed. A contemplative silence overtook the room and lasted for what seemed like forever, but soon he began to regale her with tales from his past. Despite his warning, he was an adequate storyteller and almost always got enthusiastic when it came to the battles; always going on about how he and his former master were literal nightmares on the battlefields. He told her first of the conquering of the Dromund system, as it was fitting for where they were.

After that, Khem moved on to his personal favourite, Yn and Chabosh, where he and Tulak Hord had consumed the lives of thousands of heretical Sith who had renounced the Dark in favour of the Light. How Tulak Hord single handily broke through the siege during these battles and earned his many titles. He mentioned how a lesser Lord, who's name escapes him, had asked to serve the Sith Lord but had been rejected only to earn his place later by challenging Hord's greatest general.

All in all, Louise felt comforted by these tales. Having read up on the history of the old Empire, she felt that hearing them from someone who had been there was much better, even if some facts were lost to time or exaggerated for grandeur.

Once he had told all he wanted, Louise moved the subject closer to the Sith Lord. She wanted to learn more about the ancient Sith from a firsthand account, to build up the legendary figure. And so, Khem continued, though more reluctantly, about his previous master.

In her mind, the figure built up by the Sith archives had been destroyed. Hord was not just a powerful and dangerous Sith who stroke fear into the hearts of his enemies and rivals, but an honourable man who believed truly in the Sith Order. It seemed Tulak Hord had no faults, at least according to Khem.

"Tulak Hord sounds like a great and powerful man," Louise noted.

" _Tulak Hord was a great Sith, honourable, strong and always strived for betterment. He never regretted any of his actions. He might have thought poorly on how he acted, but he never regretted. To do so is to reject what one has become. He was wise and powerful… and I…_ " Khem trailed off with a sigh.

...

She stood in a field, a soft breeze glided over the knee-high grass. Several varieties of wildflowers scattered the land, each differing in colour to the one beside it. Louise paused as she looked down, a beautiful blue flower stood out among the rest of the wild flora. She bent down to look at it. With a single tug, she plucked the flower to better appraise the exquisite bloom.

But before she could properly experience the flora, something strong forcefully grabbed her wrist and pulled downwards causing the pinkette to yelp in fright.

Hands, hands everywhere bursting from the ground, grasping, grabbing, pulling and ripping. She tried to fight it, but they were too strong, too numerous. She tried to call upon the Force, but it was deaf to her plea. She was defenceless, everything she tried failed. Louise could feel herself being pulled deeper and deeper into the field, into the dirt. Her vision became clouded and a horrifying sensation of suffocation overtook her.

The last thing she remembered was trying to scream, only for her mouth to be filled with the taste of dirt and the scent of carrion.

Louise awoke in a cold sweat, breathing as if she had been in a marathon. The room was nearly pitch black, with only a slight glow emanating from the window. It was night, everyone was asleep, even Khem who she could sense in the room over.

Slowly, she removed her bedsheets and sat up on his bed. Wiping the sweat away with unwrapped and healed hands, she stood up and left her bedroom into the living room, only pausing to check the time. Four hours till morning.

The living room was brighter than her bedroom, but not by much. It was cold and quiet; the only sounds were the hum of electricity in the walls. Louise began to wander the room but found herself drawn to the window looking out to the city below. The night was cold. Still. Below, street lights illuminated the buildings, shining light onto Kaas City.

Off in the distance, she could make out the Spires of Victory, an example of fine Sith architecture; built in celebration of the successful battle known as the Sacking of Coruscant and the Empire's glorious return to known space. Several cascading prisms hung suspended in the air, symbolising the Sith's ascent and their enemies defeat with the centrepiece representing the Emperor. It was quite the hot spot for the few tourists that visited the Sith capital.

Louise could not help but feel melancholy wash over her as she looked towards it. Built by the Sith, a culture she had adopted almost entirely. It felt… right to be Sith, it felt like this was who she was meant to be. Regardless of it only being a year, she could scarcely remember how she was before.

A small sheltered girl who had never known hardships beyond her peers' cruel comments. One who hungered for the approval of others and thought little of herself. She had been so weak then, so ignorant. But as she had heard, ignorance is bliss.

Now, she could no longer call herself any of those things. She was powerful, yes, stronger than those at the Tristan Academy. She was the Left Hand of God, a Void Mage and the apprentice to a powerful Sith Lord. And she proud to be a member of the Sith Order, the Order who had given her a home and purpose.

But all of that, it felt like empty platitudes to her. If she were so strong and powerful, then she could have saved the youngling from such a fate. Whenever her eyes closed, she could still see the slave boy's bright eyes staring at her in the void.

She clenched her fist. _How could I… How could they…_

Louise knew the Sith were not exactly the nicest people to be with, she knew how monstrous they could be. The illusion of her mother had been right, two years ago she would have balked at what she was doing now. The younger Louise would have renounced her. Yet…

 _He did not believe in the self-destructive nature of regret._

To do so is to reject yourself.

She could not regret what she had done. Everything, from the people she had killed, to Ffon's torture, had led to her now. Had she done anything different, she… she could not imagine what would have happened. But still… she wished it had ended differently… instead, she had done nothing.

 _Apathy is Death_. The illusion of her mother had said. So cruel and malicious. It had _wanted_ her to kill the boy, it hungered for it. It wanted her to forge the blade, keeping her mind occupied as her body worked on auto-pilot. A violation of her very being.

She shivered.

Even now, she could feel the dagger's dark presence burning a hole in her desk. Louise sighed to herself and removed herself from the window and back to her room. Once she activated the light switch, she walked to her desk and picked up the innocent looking dagger that sat on the desk.

It was a beautiful if atypical, piece. A pointed triangular pommel that led to a simple metal handle that was an inch bigger than her hand. The blade, on the other hand, was where it got a bit odd in design; It was not a single mass but made up of three parts. If Louise had to put it to words, it looked as if someone attached two single bladed daggers back to back then stuck an ice pick between. Of course, it looked much better than the description would conjure, more tactical and slim, just as long as her arm and no wider than two and a half fingers. The handle and central prong were a dark onyx while the blades were hued ivory.

How could such a pleasant thing be created by such a violent birth, she would never know. Even still, she had no idea what to do with such a weapon. The Force wanted her to keep it, so she had taken it home… but now what? Let it gather dust in her drawers? Hang it up for all to see?

Louise wanted none of that. She wanted to throw it away, to destroy it beyond all measure… but she could not. _If I did… his death would have been for nothing._

Her hands tightened around the weapon, the blade biting into her skin and drawing blood. But Louise ignored it. She ignored the pain. She ignored the blood.

Khem was right. The Sith do not regret, to do so would to admit weakness. So she focused on the root of the problem: The Empire.

The Empire was broken, it needed to be fixed. She knew she might never make any progress – She really believed all she could accomplish was a meagre lordship – but part of her knew that, if she could change something about the Empire, then she would. She would try to fix the Empire.

 _And.._. She thought, looking down at the ivory dagger, her blade of woe. _He will be with me the entire journey._

* * *

Skotia had returned.

No, he had returned three days prior. Lord Zash had just chosen to refrain from informing Louise until it was 'time to strike'. The cybernetic Sith Lord was on his way towards his chambers from some business in the Kaas Academy. Apparently, he was in the works for a new apprentice.

With an exaggerated sigh, Louise discarded her lunch and the datapad and walked grumpily up to Khem's door. Despite her annoyed appearance, she felt quite nervous. For some reason, her mind supplied the memory of the first time she was called up to cast a spell in the Tristain Academy. Louise found a morbid sense of amusement from feeling same sense of dread mixed with determination and anxiety she felt back then was the same for her upcoming assassination – her _first_ assassination.

 _Probably of many_. She thought morosely.

Three knocks later and the behemoth stood before her. " _What is it, Pink Sith_?"

"Get ready, we're going to pay Skotia a visit."

Khem's lipless mouth twisted into what she knew was a grin. Disconcerting to anyone who had not lived with the Dashade for as long as she had. The giant turned and began to get ready.

Louise followed his lead and left to her own room where she switched from her casual clothing to her Sith garb and began to arm herself; blaster, lightsaber, dagger – in a custom-made sheath – the Trandoshan relic and finally, the Neutralizer. But she did not stop there. A package sat upon her desk, small and innocent. Its purpose was anything but. Inside was a Stealth Field Generator, a gift from Zash she had received on the day Skotia returned. It was attached to a belt and, when activated, would bend light around the wearer allowing them to become invisible to the naked eye.

Opening the package, she pulled out the gaudy and heavy item and wrapped it around her waist, just above her utility belt.

When she returned to the living room, she saw Khem, dressed and armed to go. He too was outfitted with a Stealth Generator, though obviously much larger.

Louise then checked her datapad, re-reading the message that Lord Zash had sent her. While detailed, it boiled down to her going to the Citadel, and from her master's office, to use the Stealth Field Generators to sneak into Darth Skotia's office undetected and wait for the Sith Lord to arrive. The rest of the message was peace of mind saying simply that she had been planning and enacting this plan since her lordship, ending with a request to permanently delete the message.

After complying with her master, and another check to see if she was properly ready for her mission and had not missed anything, Louise called for Khem to follow.

The two left the building in silence and reluctance. Louise really did not want to go through with this, not only that, but Louise did not want to leave without a final word to Lyira and Vette. But she knew that if she said anything, the two would be curious and worried. In the days after forging the Sith Sword, the two would not stop bugging her about the incident, no matter how many times she explained that she was fine.

They took a skycar from the nearby transit station to the Citadel and disembarked when they arrived. Trying to act as normal as possible, they journeyed to Lord Zash's office. It was empty, which was not unexpected, yet unnerving as the blonde had always occupied the room when Louise visited. The Pinkette, not really knowing what to do next, was about to leave, but then something caught her eye. Sitting on the many shelves on the wall was a familiar object, one she remembered from her time at the Academy. It was Tulak Hord's holocron, the one she had won from Marka Ragnos' tomb.

The sight of the holocron was strange, awakening feelings she had not felt previously. She had bled for its acquisition, and yet she had never had a chance to use it or even see it used. _No_. she had a job to do. _But… one little look would not hurt_.

Despite the objections part of her made, she nevertheless walked up to the innocent little holocron. Behind her, Khem grumbled, " _That is one of Tulak Hord's_."

Louise hummed. "I was the one who recovered it from Lord Ragnos' tomb," she said, summoning the holocron from its resting place. The artefact was cold to the touch and seemed to vibrate in her grasp, though it appeared inert.

With her eyes closed, Louise reached out with the Force and focused the Dark Side onto the object before her. The vibrations seemed to hasten in vigour then a voice spoke, baritone with a synthetic tinge, "You were the one to wrest me from my resting place."

Her eyes fluttered open and there before her was a small ethereal figure, so similar to Paracelsus' holocron, but different all the same. Instead of the sagely man, there was a nightmarish figure; clad in frightening armour and robes, the visage of Tulak Hord, no matter how diminutive, stood strong and proud.

Louise resisted a shiver of awe and said, "Yes, Lord Hord, I recovered you from Lord Ragnos' tomb."

"Yet you allowed me to be given to someone unworthy?" Hord replied. Louise frowned and went to defend herself from the accusation, but the gatekeeper cut her off with a raised hand, "You needn't defend yourself. I knew that I was not your true goal, but to complete your trial. But that does not excuse you giving my knowledge to someone so unworthy. You are the rightful owner of this holocron, you alone will access the knowledge hidden in the crystal lattices, yet you will not while your master still breaths."

Louise's expression darkened, "I won't kill my master just for the secrets hidden in this holocron."

"You won't have a choice, child. The time will come where you will face against her, know that." With those final words, the gatekeeper vanished as the holocron died.

Louise glared at the ancient piece of technology. That was the last thing she wanted to here today, aside from being told that she would have to face off against an entire army to get to Skotia. It was also the last conversation she wanted to have inside _Zash's_ office. The Pinkette could not help but growl. _What does everyone have against my master!?_

Sighing, she placed the damned holocron back where it belonged, making sure it looked as if nobody had touched it. With that done, she turned around, only to find Khem giving the holocron a queer look, longing mixed with resignation. She opened her mouth to ask, but the words were caught in her throat. Taking a breath, she tried again, "Are you okay? Did you want to talk to him?"

" _No, Pink Sith, it could not answer the questions I have_."

She understood. It was a holocron, not the real Tulak Hord. With those thoughts, she activated her stealth field generator, her companion copying her actions, and the two left to Skotia's chambers.

Along the way, they found few Sith Lords patrolling the grounds. Out of the ones they did see were too busy to notice the two shimmering shapes stalking the grounds. Fortunately, the two did not spend much time under the possible scrutiny of the Sith and found Skotia's chambers quickly.

Louise, who had never once stepped inside a Sith Lord's chambers, found herself awed and envious of the amount of room Skotia had to himself. From what she could see, he had four rooms; the main office, a large hall branching from said office, a meeting and planning room, and finally the archives. All of it looked grand with all the Sith paraphernalia and artefacts.

Louise, deciding to keep things easy, set up shop behind one of six support pillars in the main office. Khem followed suite, though chose the pillar on the opposite side.

Everything was set and ready. All she had to do now, was wait. But oddly enough, the wait was more nerve racking than the plotting and planning. And where was her master in all this? Sipping a drink while pretending to enjoy a party. The perfect alibi.

 _Why no, my lord, I didn't kill anyone._ Louise thought, mockingly, her musings sounding strangely like her master. _I mean I was at a party, of course I felt like murdering someone during it, but I didn't!_

Louise shook her head, ridding herself of those thoughts, no matter how amusing they were. With another check to see if she was still invisible, she began focused on meditating to pass the time.

Luckily – or rather, unfortunately – she did not need to wait long before the presence of three Force-Sensitives intruded upon her meditation.

The three walked into the middle of the office, and behind them, the chamber doors closed with a hiss before a click. The door was shut and locked. The only way out was to use the terminal on the inside of the room, just as Zash had informed.

"Come out," the rattly mechanical voice of her target called, sounding none too pleased, "Darth Skotia can sense your presence."

Taking a deep breath, Louise stood up and disengaged her stealth field, walking into view of her target. To her left, Khem did the same. However, her eyes were not on him, but on the three in front of her.

Skotia stood with two others by his side. On his right, was another Sith, an apprentice if only for the clothing and lightsaber by her side. She held an arrogance about her, but it soon twisted to anxiousness when she looked upon Khem Val's intimidating figure. If Louise was to guess, the girl had only recently been apprenticed. On her left, however, stood someone she did not expect to see.

Alive but not at all well from the looks of him. Ortosin looked like some kind of monster with all the bits of cybernetics that jutted painfully from around his body. In fact, the only reason Louise could recognise him was because only half his face was infested with machines. Just from looking at him, she knew that it was not a painless transition. The only reason she could fathom for why he looked as he did was punishment.

The word rang true in the Force. It was punishment, punishment for failing to kill the slave turned apprentice. If she had of known this was the result of her and her master's mercy, she would have killed him back on Korriban.

"Darth Skotia recognises you. You're the pet slave of Zash." Skotia growled, "What makes this slave so bold as to enter Darth Skotia's chamber? Tell Darth Skotia, are you insane or do you have a death wish?"

Louise deigned to not answer and drew her lightsaber, slipping into Form VI, Niman, "Khem, deal with the apprentices."

"With pleasure," the giant replied, unsheathing his sword from his back and flourishing it.

"You dare to insult Darth Skotia?" the Darth demanded, igniting his own saber along with his apprentice, "Darth Skotia will take pleasure in ripping you limb from limb." With an incline of his head, Ortosin broke off from his master's side, squaring off against Khem. The unnamed apprentice followed suit, looking quite anxious as the Dashade's stared the two down.

Briefly, her eyes flicked to the two apprentices, watching them warily, but that was all the Sith Lord needed as his hulking form charged forwards. Trusting in the Force, Louise kept herself low to the ground, parrying the crimson as it came to decapitate her. Momentarily, she felt shocked by the amount of weight behind the Cyborg's attacks, which were much stronger and faster than she expected from someone with Skotia's build. Louise assumed that it was the works of the cybernetics.

More strikes and jabs came her way which she managed to deflect with the help of the runes, but she found it to be a difficult task. Every time she parried, the machine would quickly recover to block her advances, keeping her far enough away that her small figure would not be advantageous, but close enough his attacks were strong.

To the side, another battle was raging as the two apprentices attacked the Shadow Killer. Khem had recovered well from his time in stasis, but he was nowhere near the level he had been in his prime. The weeks of peace had not been kind to him and he found himself reluctant to ask his pink master to spar. Nevertheless, the duel was a simple feat considering the female apprentice's relative lack of skill when it came to the lightsaber. Ortosin, on the other hand, was the one he watched out for.

The Cyborg had grown since the last time they had met, his punishment giving him the physical power to rival Khem and the hate and pain drawn from his procedure to fuel the Dark Side.

Yet Khem held steadfast.

Louise, of course, was having a much worse time in dealing with Skotia as he was very much superior to her.

A powerful telekinetic blast slammed Louise painfully into Skotia's desk, leaving her precious few seconds to recover to defend. Louise knew she had to use the Neutralizer quickly, but she knew that, if it were to work, she needed to get closer.

When Skotia came for the follow-up strike, to try and end Louise once and for all, the Pinkette shot her hands up at the behemoth. She dug deep to drudge up all the guilt and pain she had felt for the innocent she had killed into a devastating electrical barrage. The Sith Lord grunted in annoyance and pain as he had to quickly pull up a defence using only his lightsaber and the Force.

With much effort, she brought herself back up to her feet, standing before the Sith defiantly. In an instant, she ceased her attack and summoned her lightsaber to hand. Before the Sith Lord could recover, Louise charged, sending a blast of Force energy directly at the Sith.

Her amber lightsaber was raised as she drew close, ready to cleave him in two as he recoiled from her telekinetic attack. But before she could pull through with her plan, something stopped her.

Skotia's hand was wrapped around her arm, squeezing with all his cybernetic might. barely above the sound of the nearby battle, she heard two distinct snapping sounds that caused a trickle of fear to flood through her as her fingers and wrist suddenly felt weak and numb. Some manner of surprise worked its way onto the Cyborg's features, but she ignored it.

With her offhand, she pulled the Neutralizer from her belt and shoved it in the man's face. Before he could act, she activated it. In an instant, a pulse of energy slammed into him. He stumbled back, losing grip on her arm as his cybernetics discharged violently.

Moving quickly, she jumped back, discarding the now useless Neutralizer and switching hands with her lightsaber. Her other arm, assumed broken, was tucked close to her body.

Skotia recovered from his short circuit, rising to full height, twitching occasionally. Casting a hateful glare at Louise with his only good eye, he demanded, "What have you done to Darth Skotia!?"

Louise returned the glare with one of her own. Drawing upon the Force to keep her body in a working condition, she charged again, striking out at the Sith. The change was obvious; both were disabled in some way, but Skotia seemed to suffer the most. No longer were his movements quick and his strikes as inhumanly strong, no- Now they were clunky, desperate, but with an underlining hatred that permeated the very air. But these were made up by his skilful switch to the remarkably underused form known as Soresu.

Form III was a minor benefit, but a benefit nonetheless as the lightsaber form gave its user a stronger defence compared to others. Louise did not let this dissuade her, however, her arm might be disabled from using a saber, it could still be used to direct the Force. Aside from that, while strange, her left hand had taken its new dominance with the grace of a dancer who had gone through a recent growth spurt. Her jabs and slices were less precise and felt clumsy to her, but the runes made up for what they could. Nevertheless, she pressed on the attack, aiming for where his defence faltered.

Behind her, Khem Val continued having the time of his life as he duelled both apprentices. No matter where they attacked, his Sith Sword would intercept, blocking and parrying the blows. He knew he could have killed the two by now, but he was too busy using them to release his stress.

Of course, the three duelling Dark Siders were also watching Louise and Skotia duel. They watched as a Sith Lord who had built himself up so high, be brought low by a petite woman who was only half his height _and_ had an injured arm. Khem found himself begrudgingly respectful of the girl's prowess. Disappointingly enough, one of the apprentices saw this and decided to assist her master.

Of course, Khem could not let this slight stand. To him, even without the proper words being spoken, Louise and Skotia had issued a duel between themselves to see who was the stronger Sith. To interrupt would spit in the face of the old Lords of the Sith.

As the apprentice tried to join Skotia's side, to help defeat the Pinkette, Khem summoned the power of the Force and threw his Sith Sword. It arched around, spinning like a disk as the Force guided it. The apprentice had little time to react before the massive blade cleaved her in twain. The bloody blade was summoned back to his hand, just in time to block what would have been a devastating blow from the cybernetic apprentice.

Khem Val looked upon the abomination with a hateful disgust. Deciding that he had enough fun, he began to dismantle the machine. The abomination was quite a difficult foe to face, much to his displeasure. He, of course, blamed Louise for his softness – only his hunting had kept him in shape. But it was no matter as he hacked and slashed at Ortosin, the Cyborgs meagre implants proving ineffective in fending his savage blows.

Pressed on the defensive, just as his master, the apprentice tried everything in his power to keep the Dashade Shadow Killer back, but was all for nought in the end.

His head rolled to the floor, only to be crushed underfoot by Khem.

The former servant of Tulak Hord turned around just in time to see Skotia's arm go flying from his body. With her injured arm, she summoned a powerful blast of kinetic energy, throwing the Darth across the room.

Skotia recovered sluggishly, looking up at Louise with a hint of fear. Knowing the battle would end in his death, he tried to flee.

Louise would not allow that.

She summoned a stream of lightning and thrust it out towards Skotia's leg and almost as if the lightning had become a chain, Skotia was lifted from the ground by his leg and sent slamming into the walls of the warehouse. When the dust settled, Louise was standing over Cyborg's prone form.

The barely conscious Sith looked up at Louise fearfully, "Wh… how? How did… Zash! You've killed me…" Louise sneered at the apparently delusional Sith, raising her lightsaber to deliver the finishing blow, but hesitated when Skotia raised his hand, crying out, "No! You don't know Zash… plotting… plotting all these years. She'll kill you… just like me!"

Louise, of course, ignored him, swinging her lightsaber down to end Skotia's life.

And suddenly, it was as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **I never liked how you, without taking any precautions, just waltz into a Sith Lord's chambers and murder him. Zash doesn't mention working on the assassinations or plotting measures to splice into the security or anything like that. So in this, Zash had already worked on all this behind the scenes technical things.**


	20. (15) Revelations

**Chapter 20 – Revelations [Final]**

* * *

With her left hand, Louise rapped her knuckles upon the door to Lyira's apartment. Her other arm was splinted in a sling her droid had done for her. Even now, her teeth were gritted, trying to ignore the pain in her slightly deformed arm.

After she had dealt with both Skotia and his apprentices, Louise and Khem had snuck back to their apartment to recover. She had been in a foul mood the entire way back, though this was mainly attributed to her broken arm and new scar she found across her hip, though it was also because she was forced to leave Skotia's lightsaber behind. While glorifying, it would have been extremely incriminating had she been caught with the saber.

Nevertheless, she returned to her temporary home and changed from her Sith robes to her more casual clothing; a difficult feat considering her broken arm. Once that was done, she got her droid to tend to her arm and left to Lyira's apartment.

The door hissed open revealing a curious Vette who's eyes almost immediately locked onto her injured arm. "What did you do, Louise?" the Twi'lek asked with a sigh.

"You sound like I am always injured when I visit."

Vette only gave her a look.

Louise took a deep breath before saying the plausible excuse she had thought of on the way, "I arm wrestled Khem." Behind her, she could _feel_ Khem smirk at the demeaning excuse.

Now Vette was not only staring but openly gawking, her eyes occasionally flicking to the smirking giant, "Why would you do that?"

" _The Pink Sith was not in the right mindset._ " Khem supplied.

"Thank you Khem," Louise said, casting a sidelong glare at her companion before turning back to Vette with a huff, "I got bored. I would have won, but apparently, I need to replace my flimsy human bones with something stronger."

Vette looked at Louise with a queer expression, "This doesn't have anything to do with…"

"No, Vette," Louise replied coldly.

"Well, ah, come in. Lyira's not home right now. Baras is interrogating someone and wants Lyira's help." Vette answered, distaste lacing her voice.

"Oh," was all Louise said about that, knowing the woman's opinion on cruelty. What could she say? She had already tortured and horribly murdered someone horribly. They deserved it, in her humble opinion, but the more she thought about it the more she realised it was more for fun and stress relief rather than justice or revenge. She really had no idea what to think about that.

The two entered the apartment and Louise quickly took up two seats on the couch, wanting to rest her legs, "When do you think she'll be back?"

"Don't know, she left early this morning." Vette replied, "Want something to eat?"

"No thank you, I had something before."

Vette was about to say something, but the sound of a massive explosion and the faint vibrations through the apartment complex put the three on immediate edge, "What was that."

"I don't know," Louise replied, a sick feeling tingling through the Force.

They rushed to the window, hoping that they would see anything that would shed some light on the explosion, but they saw nothing other than panicked civilians and Imperial soldiers trying to calm people down. Finding nothing else, the left the window, confused and worried.

Louise wanted to ask Vette if she had any ideas, but the words could not form. Even Khem looked as concerned as he could. With no better idea, Louise sat on the couch, soon being joined by the Twi'lek who turned on the viewscreen, switching it to the News network.

What they found was not helping their peace of mind, "- indoors. I repeated, all Imperial citizens return to your homes and stay indoors. The Empire is doing much to learn more about this attack and your cooperation is needed to make this a streamlined affair." It was not the usual news anchor speaking, but a droid doing it instead. The droid continued to spout nonsense, not really explain what was truly going on.

Louise supposed it was because the Empire did not know either, other than something had exploded. It was not good news.

Immediately, her mind went to Lyira, worrying about the Pureblood's safety. She could tell that Vette had similar thoughts, but knew that they could not do anything at the moment. So, they waited and listened to the droid repeat itself, trying to bring the peace.

An hour later, her holocommunicator beeped. With hope that it was Lyira, Louise scrambled to answer the call, only to find that it was her master instead, "Louise, I hope you're doing well in the chaos. Darth Thanaton has just called me into his office, about a murder. Sit tight, I'll contact you when this is all done." And, before she could get a word in edge-wise, her master cut the call.

With nothing better to do, Louise put the holocom away, shrugging to the inquisitive Vette.

More painstaking time passed as Khem moved restlessly around the apartment and the other two worried about their red-skinned friend. Then, the door hissed open.

All three heads snapped to the interloper, and the second Louise saw red skin and green eyes, she flung herself headfirst from the couch she was seated on and crushed Lyira in a bone crushing hug. One that the Pureblood returned quite awkwardly, "Lou, please, you're bony. It hurts!"

Louise did not relinquish her hold, only loosening slightly, "We were worried about you, Lyira."

"Yeah, can't have my buddy get killed while I'm stuck here." Vette supplied.

"I was worried as well," the Pureblood replied as Louise relinquished her from the embrace, "It's not every day that a ship explodes over Kaas, especially during peacetime."

"A ship exploded?" Vette asked.

Lyira nodded, "A Harrower-Class, from what I could hear."

"What happened?"

"That's all I know," Lyira shrugged, "I could feel it even from Darth Baras' chambers."

"Well, you're safe here," Louise said.

"Uh, Louise," Lyira said, "I'm not going to be here for long. Darth Baras called me into… assist him in his endeavours, but with the recent chaos, he's given me a job to do. I… can't speak about it."

"So, you'll be leaving?" asked Louise.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Lyira apologised again.

"It's okay. Be careful." With that, Louise reluctantly left Lyira and Vette, allowing them to get ready for whatever mission Baras had demanded. Her feet carried her down halls and up turbo-lifts eventually nearing her apartment.

Upon turning a corner to walk down the hall her apartment was located, Louise noticed something peculiar, that being the Sith Lord who had just stopped in front of her door. She recognised the man, of course, as he was her superior in the Sphere of Influence she belonged to.

Darth Thanaton.

He was a middle-aged man, around fifty years old, though he looked much older with his short grey hair and wrinkles. Around his left eye was a red tattoo of Sith design that stood out against his fair skin. An extravagant robe of red and purple was fitted around his lean form with pieces of armour on his arms, shoulders and neck.

Apprehension gripped Louise's heart, her mind instantly going to Skotia's assassination, but she knew she had to confront the Darth either way. To avoid him would be just as incriminating as straight out saying she committed the murder.

Slowly, she began walking towards the Sith Lord, her steps cautious. Khem, sensing her unease, copied her movements, his hand twitching to use his sword again no matter who he kills. Their footsteps alerted Thanaton to their arrival as he turned to face her, eyes widening only a second. Just at the edge of her hearing, she could hear the Darth mutter, "She really does have pink hair."

"Is there something I could help you with, my lord?" Louise said upon her approach.

His eyes flicked once again to her hair and he asked, "You are Apprentice Louse, are you not?"

"I am," she replied.

"Just in time." He said before introducing himself, "I am Darth Thanaton and I have a few questions concerning your master."

"About her supposedly killing someone?" Ventured Louise.

Though his expression did not change, she felt suspicion rise in the Darth, "Yes, though I would rather have this conversation privately."

"Of course, my lord." Louise replied, "We can talk in my apartment."

Thanaton nodded absently, turning back to the apartment door, "It's strange…"

"What is my lord?"

"This was my apartment when I was an apprentice all those years ago."

Louise, not knowing what else to say, hummed in acknowledgement. She opened the door, and, once Khem entered himself, gestured for Thanaton to enter as well.

The Dashade quickly excused himself to his room, leaving the Sith alone to do their business. Half concerned as to the interrogation she was expecting, and not knowing what to do next, Louise decided to act out being a host to her guest, "Would you like anything to eat or drink, my lord?"

"No thank you- actually, yes. You wouldn't happen to have tea, would you? I always liked the tea the apartments were supplied."

 _Supplied?_ She thought frowning. She did not know about any tea in her apartment. She knew the Empire and the galaxy at large had many different foods and drinks and that tea was one of those, but had not tried it as it was a drink on her homeworld much the same. Deciding to at least check to appease the Sith Lord, Louise quickly made her way to the kitchen.

Once inside, her personal droid booted up almost immediately, "Is there something you wish, master?"

"Do we have tea?" Louise asked.

"Yes master, we have a full stock."

Louise made a small 'oh' at the answer, "When did we get this?"

"We've always had tea, master." The droid replied, its tone somehow sounding like the droid was judging her.

"Why wasn't I told?"

"Master, I do apologise," the droid said, articulating its apology with a bow, "but I am sure I informed you within the week of your arrival."

Casting her mind back to her first week on the Imperial capital, Louise remembered how completely out of it she had been; her Sith alchemy studies had taken over her entire life changing her diet to cheap nutrient packets and water. As Lyira had said, it was not healthy, and she had lost weight from it. Luckily Lyira quickly put an end to that.

Shaking her head of those thoughts, Louise ordered her droid to make two cups of tea for both Thanaton and her; if she already owned some, she might as well taste it. The droid did not take much time at all, having all the ingredients ready for two cups – water heating was a wonderful thing – and soon she was holding two small cups of the hot liquid.

Returning to the Living room, she found Thanaton had already made himself at home, sitting himself down at the dining table. With careful grace, she managed to not spill a drop of the tea and delivered a cup to the Sith Lord before sitting herself down across from him.

After Thanaton took a sip of his tea, he began, "You knew your master had been accused of murder?"

Louise inwardly smiled, taking a sip from her own cup and finding the flavour pleasant, "Yes, she told me over a holocall. Though I'm not sure who she's supposedly killed as the last I heard from her she was going to a party."

"That is precisely what we are working on figuring out. She's been accused of killing Darth Skotia." Thanaton said, looking over Louise for any signs of a reaction.

Louise felt like shivering under his yellow eyes, but held her composure and presented a front of content indifference, "Skotia? He's dead?"

"Yes, murdered in his own chambers. You sound pleased by the news," noted the Darth.

With a sip of her drink, she replied, "He tried to kill me twice for simply being apprenticed to Lord Zash. Both failed miserably, but it did not leave me a great impression of the man."

"Either way, your master is our number one suspect." Thanaton said as he sipped his tea, "And we plan on figuring out how she managed such a bold move."

"I have no idea how I could help, my lord. My master keeps much hidden from me." Louise replied, hoping her honesty in the last part of her sentence eased the man's suspicion.

Thanaton nodded along, seemingly content with her answer, "What have you been up to since your graduation?"

"Not much, my lord." Louise replied, "Other than a few short missions, I've been training and studying alchemy. My master has mostly kept to herself, studying a few things I recovered during my time as an Acolyte."

"And what do these missions entail?"

"At the beginning of my apprenticeship, I was tasked by the Grand Moff to assist him with capturing a defecting Imperial General. Other than that, I've been used as her gopher, doing small things here and there."

Once again begrudgingly n content with her answers, Darth Thanaton asked, "Why is your arm broken?"

"I arm wrestled my Dashade servant," Louise replied, trying to sound bitter about the entirely fictional event. Louise could tell he was immensely curious about her little tale but refrained from further questioning on that subject.

Then, something odd happened. Just as Thanaton was about to ask another question, her viewscreen turned on by itself. Both the Sith's eyes flicked towards the screen where they saw a shadowy hooded figure staring back.

Then it spoke, "Citizens of the Empire, this is the Eagle." It- he said, his voice a deep distorted baritone, "I am here to tell you that our government is corrupt. When the Emperor signed his treaty with the Galactic Republic, we were promised a new epoch – Glory unrivalled since the first Sith dynasty. Instead, our Empire has suffered. Apathetic Moffs and wicked Lords of the Dark Council vie for power while our soldiers die over worthless planets in nameless systems."

She could feel the aura of anger that started to fill the air, she risked a look to Thanaton who was looking stone-faced at the screen, his eyes blazing. Turning back, she continued to listen as the man continued his speech.

"Anyone who speaks out in favour of reform is kidnapped and tortured by Imperial Intelligence. This must not continue.'

"A short while ago, a group of defiant revolutionaries destroyed an Imperial dreadnaught. Three thousand people were aboard… Including Darth Jadus, a Lord of the Dark Council. We chose to strike at Darth Jadus publicly so that every Imperial citizen would know the truth: The Dark Council is not invulnerable. We can effect change. We regret the sacrifice of so many civilians, but it was necessary. The Empire cannot cover up this momentous event. Imperial Intelligence cannot silence our call to arms.'

"This is only the first step towards a better future. We have agents throughout the Empire to strike again… and again. We will not relent until our government chooses strength over weakness; unity over discord. We will continue to show the anger of the people.'

"This is the Eagle. End Transmission."

By the end of the speech, Louise knew that her anger had also manifested around the room as both the Darth and Apprentice glared at the screen. Behind her, she could also feel Khem Val standing there, looking at the screen with the same intensity as the other Sith.

"I will need to return to the Citadel," Thanaton said suddenly, drawing the attention of both Louise and Khem, as he sculled the rest of his tea, "The investigation will be put on hold for now, but I have finished questioning you. Stay here until it is done."

With that, he quickly left the apartment, leaving Louise and Khem alone. Looking to the Dashade, she saw his anger and disgust at the message. She knew what his thoughts were, just as she knew her own.

Anger coursed through her at this unnamed being and everything he stood for. By his own admission he, and whatever organisation he stood for, were murders who killed innocence just to get their point across. Terrorists. It was not a word that her homeworld knew, but it was close enough to others. They were the Reconquista, the traitors and murderers who start civil wars and kill innocence in an attempt to change the government.

And she hated that. Reformists were not killed off, if they had been, people like Marr would not be on the Council. No, no matter what they stood for, they had attacked her home and threatened her and her friends. The worry she had for Lyira was still there, with all the waiting and waiting to see if her cherished friend still lived. Louise may have been a reformist as well, but she would not kill to press her point.

Not only that, but the disgust he had for the Treaty annoyed her. He wanted war, that much she could discern, but war was the last thing the Empire needed, despite how eager some were for it.

They had attacked the Empire, her new home, and they had said- no, promised that they would do it again, and again until they conformed to their ideals. It was not her Sphere, nor did she think her master would approve of her choice.

Louise left to her room to meditate and rest.

...

Around four hours after the Eagle's threat and Thanaton's abrupt departure, Louise was laying in her bed trying to relax. She had already sent a message to Lyira, Vette and Alif wishing them well and had received a reply from all of them, but she was still uneasy. Part of her was anxious that another ship would be destroyed, perhaps it would collapse on the Citadel, or perhaps a bomb might go off in the vicinity of her friends. Another part of her just wanted all this worrying to end as it was not doing wonders for her health.

She had also changed over her kolto bandages with assistance from her droid.

Khem had left over two hours ago, wanting to go out and hunt. She tried to dissuade him but found that the only way he would listen is if she ordered him to. Louise did not want to restrict his freedoms like that and reluctantly allowed the Shadow Killer to leave.

And so, when she received a message on her datapad, she was partly terrified of the contents and part elated that she had something other to do than dwell on her thoughts. She did not even want to look to the viewscreen for solace as she doubted they would be doing anything other than covering the attack. Thus she was relieved to find that it was her master that had sent the message.

It was a simple message, requesting her presence in Darth Skotia's former chambers. It was an odd request, sure, and filled Louise with a curious sort of unease, but nevertheless, it was a request from her master and therefore an order. It even had a little bit saying her temporary house arrest was lifted with Thanaton's blessing.

So, she quickly got dressed and left to Skotia's old chambers.

Upon arrival, Louise found her master sitting at the front desk, smiling as if her birthday had come early. Though something had changed about her, specifically her wardrobe. Gigantic red shoulder pads that were as long as she was wide. It was quite an odd sight, amusing as well, if Louise was to be honest, so much so, that she could not help but blurt, "You have shoulder pads."

"So you've noticed." Zash said with childlike glee, "I've been keeping them around just for this occasion. You would've been proud of me. I went in for a reprimand, but emerged a Darth! Would have happened sooner had the terrorist not interrupted." She grumbled.

Ignoring the mention of the Eagle, Louise said, "That's wonderful news, master."

"It is, it is. Now as a Darth we are free to act." Zash said, standing and moving from out behind her desk, "Remember the map you found on Korriban? Well, they lead to artefacts- stones of power created by Tulak Hord. The first piece, you won't believe, is right here on Dromund Kaas. It tells that the piece is in the deepest chamber of the Dark Temple. Skotia always hoarded the key, but now I have his title, his chamber, his research and his key. He always said I would enter the Dark Temple over his rusting corpse."

Louise smirked at the memory of Skotia saying that very thing when she first met the Cyborg.

"However," Zash continued, "I won't be going into the Dark Temple. You will."

 _Of course_. Louise thought.

Darth Zash, as if reading her mind, continued, "There is reason, apprentice. In the days of oh-eight, a furious apparition was awakened in the Temple, implacable in its anger. It murdered all those who trespassed the innermost chamber. But I had a dream. A dream where an apprentice of low origin humbled him or herself before the apparition, pacifying it. This is why you and your fellow slaves were chosen."

Louise looked to her master inquisitively, "You had a vision?" she asked.

"I believe so. I cannot go for fear of dying, but you can. You must go into the Temple and face the apparition, and when you do, I think that your humility will be the key." Zash replied before hesitating, "Still, I want you to know, I am not certain you're the one from my dream. I fear that I may be sending you to your death."

Louise went to say something but hesitated. Zash had implicitly stated that she might die on a mission before. It was always 'If I didn't think you would survive I wouldn't do it,' or some variation of that.

But as Louise felt her hopes lessen at the knowledge, she felt something in the Force calling to her and filling her with an eerie calm. "While I don't like the idea of being sent to my death, I believe your dreams might be right." She said though resignation managed to taint the sentiment behind her words.

"Yes, you're right, apprentice. Tulak Hord's powerawait us both. We must not lose sight of this goal. Right now, you need to get that arm looked at. I'll see if I can get you a kolto to soak for a day or two. Then, off to the Temple."

* * *

Louise stood staring up at the massive dilapidated structure known simply as the Dark Temple. Built like a grand cathedral, it sat imposingly atop a sloped hill just a few kilometres from Kaas City. Massive cracks carved deep holes into the thick smooth stone walls of the building, though no windows could be seen, making it seem more like a tomb than anything.

A day and a half had passed since her meeting with Darth Zash, and she had indeed spent most of that time bathing in kolto, being fed through a tube. The moment her arm had healed right up, she had been removed and sent to work; given the key, a glyph, and her lightsaber and thrown to the temple with only a 'be careful' to comfort her.

Of course, Louise was not going in blind as she had heard of the Dark Temple before. How could she not? It was a legendary and sacred landmark of the Old Empire. Then, after recovering Dromund Kaas, the Emperor once retook the Temple, expanding it and using it to entomb his enemies, hide his artefacts and experiment with Dark Side rituals. The result creating a massive nexus of Dark Side energy. However, over a thousand years ago, the tomb was sealed under order from the Emperor.

Though that was only history. In recent memory, the tomb had become a struggle for the Empire. A group of foolish, yet ambitious Sith had broken into the Temple and disturbed the sleep of the dead; a Sith by the name of Kallig. None of the expedition team, made up of a hundred slaves, Imperials and Sith, returned.

Now the Empire was trying to get the entire mess under control, not that they were succeeding.

They sent teams of workers, Imperial's and Sith to try and quell the issue and figure out if the entire building would collapse after seismic activity shook the foundations. Of course, this ended terribly as more dead Sith awoke from their slumber and possessed many of the expedition teams. Others were just driven mad by the Dark Side. It was like Marka Ragnos' tomb, only worse.

Even from the Imperial Safe Zone set up at least half a kilometre away from the front door of the Temple, Louise could see the devastation that had been wrought from the actions of a few foolish Sith. It looked like the aftermath of a war zone with the bodies of dead Imperial's and Sith littering the stony path leading to the Temple's front door.

Louise sighed and rubbed her temples. She _really_ did not want to be here. While she would have normally loved to have walked the Temple where the Emperor once walked, to soak in the Dark Side that had been left by the Immortal being, the idea of walking into a certifiable death trap was not high on her list of priorities. Then again, it would not have been the first time.

So, having already supplied the supervising officer with permit allowing her entry into the death zone, Louise and Khem began the walk down the path to the Temple. Her eyes darted around, looking for any dangers, her hand always on her lightsaber. But fortunately, she ran into no trouble at all.

And soon enough, they arrived at the entrance of the Dark Temple. Large stone double doors stood ajar, permitting entry, yet everything seemed far too welcoming. Passed the entry was a small room which lead to a large staircase leading upwards to the Temple proper.

As soon as she crossed the threshold, the atmosphere changed. It felt like a thousand eyes were gazing at her from just out of sight; curious little eyes that held her with the same inquisitiveness of a child plucking the wings off an insect to see what would happen. Louise did not like this, and voiced her concerns to her companion.

Khem looked around the entry way, his eyes seemingly piercing the darkness that clung to the Temple, "I do not feel it, Pink Sith" he replied, but the comment put him on edge regardless.

Louise was not pleased by the answer. Khem was older and more experienced in using the Force – though he was not blessed with Sith Sorcery as she seemed to be – and if he felt nothing, then it either meant she was rightly paranoid, or something worse.

Nevertheless, Louise continued, walking up the staircase until she arrived at a junction. Consulting the map she had been given, she found that any choice would suffice as it all lead to the main hall. Choosing left, she ascended another flight of stairs and arrived at the hall. And it was magnificent.

The ground was cobbled as time wore away at the former stone beauty, with moss growing between the cracks while pillars depicting monsters and battles held the ceiling up; stone sentinels guarded them. And up at the back, where an alter would have been, was a large pedestal presenting a statue of a male Sith Pureblood, seemingly screaming to the heavens. His eyes and mouth were alight with an eerie green glow as was his chest were seven strange orbs sat. It was easily the largest and most memorable of all the statues here.

Louise felt that she might turn into her master if she tried to describe the interior of the Temple, with all the words that went through her head as she looked around the room. Even with its dilapidated nature, light casting down from holes in the roof, chipped stone and… dead people, it looked simply stunning. Part of Louise wished she could come back and take pictures of the various pieces of beautiful Sith art.

But that would require a trip back here, something Louise really did not want to do. So, pulling her attention away from the architecture, Louise focused on her goal. Consulting the map, she knew her goal was up a stairwell hidden behind the main statue, the only issue was getting passed the beings that littered the hall.

Upon entry, she had sensed many Force Signatures scattered throughout the Temple, though the main hall was sparsely populated, only around twenty beings still alive. Luckily, these twenty gravitated into small groups, giving her a clear path to her goal.

With weary eyes, Louise and Khem began walking again, eyeing any group they neared with distrust.

They were around halfway there, when the sounds of muttering drew her attention as well as Khem's. Despite knowing that investigating was a horrible idea – something she remembered caused the deaths of many protagonists in horror vids – she pressed on regardless. What she found, was not some monstrosity or killer, but what looked like an Imperial officer curled up beside one of the statues, muttering insanity as he rocked slightly.

Louise raised a concerned eyebrow and tried reached out with her senses, pressing them against the mind of the Imperial. That was a mistake. The mental backlash from her untrained attempt at telepathy and the utter chaos that was the Imperia's scattered mind leading to a painful headache.

Grabbing her head, she bit back a trail of curses, nearly doubling over in pain. The Imperial was not dealing so good either, screaming in pain from her intrusion. It only took a second's consideration before Louise decided on what she was going to do.

Pulling her blaster from its holster, she levelled it at the Imperial and fired, ending the poor man's agony. Holstering the gun, she returned to nursing her head. It felt like someone had gotten a white-hot nail and hammered it into her head.

She turned to Khem who had watched the preceding events and told him, "Don't say a word."

" _I was not going to,_ " He replied.

Louise regarded Khem for a moment before sitting down on the dusty floor. She needed a minute to herself, and while she would much rather rest away from the Imperial she just mercy-killed, her headache would not allow it.

Luckily, most of the beings around the hall payed her no heed, to absorbed in their insanity or possession to do a thing. When she finally recovered, she renewed her walk, soon arriving at the staircase. However, just as she began to ascend the stairs, the sound of lightsabers igniting drew her attention.

Summoning her lightsaber, Louise span to face whoever it was; a Sith Pureblood and Zabrak, dressed in tattered Sith Robes. Louise did not recognise either of them, though considering that they had their lightsabers out, it meant they were either insane, possessed, or had issue with her existence. All realistic explanations in the Sith Empire.

The Pureblood, a short and stocky male with quite a few chin tentacles stepped forwards, his eyes glowing purple briefly, "And the prodigal daughter returns."

"Uh…" Louise said, genuinely confused by what the Sith was saying, "What are you talking about?"

"Do not act so coy with us, Teralyn," the Zebrak spat, "You may have dyed your hair, but your face has not. Time to die just like your father!" And, without any provocation aside from the insane ramblings spoken, the two rushed Khem and Louise, their crimson lightsabers raised high.

However, when their sabers clashed Louise's own and Khem's sword, she found that they were quite clumsy. Almost as if they were fighting themselves or dressed in incredibly tight clothing. Considering the tattered outfits, they wore, the latter was unlikely. Their deaths were quick and easy, with Khem bisecting on while Louise managed to disarm the other.

The next second, she impaled the red skinned man, watching him gasp in pain before his eyes flickered purple then back to normal. No longer was his expression pained nor filled with hate, but peaceful, and his Force presence no longer felt tainted, "Thank you."

Deactivating her lightsaber, she laid the man on the ground with an odd expression marring her face. _He must have been possessed_. Louise thought.

Her mind cast back to what the Sith had said before their fight, but only found herself more and more confused by what had been said. Deciding two heads were better than one, Louise turned to Khem, "What was that about?"

" _I do not know, Pink Sith. But I feel as if we will be finding out soon enough,_ " Replied Khem, seemingly unfazed by the event.

With a final look to the dead Sith, Louise continued her way, eventually scaling the flight of stairs which lead to a long twisting hall. She met little in the way of resistance, mostly dead slaves and Imperials, as she walked the hall, but eventually arrived at a dead-end.

The dead-end was in the form of a large stone wall decorated with eldritch designs of faces and tentacles. It was the door. Behind this was the ghost and whatever artefact Tulak Hord had crafted. Taking a deep breath to centre herself, Louise pulled the glyph from a pouch.

It was a small vaguely rectangular stone of unknown make with a carved symbol in the centre. The instructions were pretty clear, if simplistic: Simply press the glyph up against the door and it will open. And so she did and watched as it glowed with an eerie pale blue before the door rumbled, slid slowly open.

Stone grinding on stone was not a pleasant sound, but Louise tried her best to ignore it, only cringing a bit. Once the door had finished opening, she walked through. The room followed a similar theme the door held, with carvings of faces and tentacles withering across the walls and pillars of the chamber. It was disturbing imagery, but not sickening; it held its own charm.

In the centre of the room, Louise saw a sarcophagus that caused her pause. There was a dark presence there, one that felt similar to the Sith she had fought and the other possessed denizens of the Temple. But it felt… stronger and more powerful. Tendrils of Force energy seemed to writhe around the sarcophagus, like an octopus with thousands of tentacles.

Other than that, she saw nothing. No ghost, no possessed being. She was sure this was the room that she would meet the murderous ghost, though there was an archway at the end of the room leading into another hall that led to Force knows where. With trepidation in her steps, Louise walked to the sarcophagus.

A presence appeared at the edge of her senses behind her, not tainted like the others she felt. She spun around, eyes darting to where the presence was felt but saw nothing but Khem prowling around the room. She turned back to the coffin and renewed her steps, actively trying to calm her nerves.

Again, the presence appeared, this time to her left. She spun but saw nothing but the expancive artwork on the walls of the chamber. Turning back, Louise could barely react before she was flung up into the air then slammed into the ground winding her.

Her head snapped up, looking for her attacker, but before she could get a proper look at the being, she felt her windpipe close as she was hoisted by the neck into the air. Before her stood her goal, the ghost. Standing with its arm outstretched, the source of her suffocation, in a terrifying mask made in a mockery of a human skull and armoured robes of the ancient Sith.

Khem rushed over with his sword in hand and tried to cut down the apparition, but the blade only phased through the ghost. With an unimpressed stare, it threw Khem across the large chamber, knocking the behemoth unconscious with the Force. Then, it turned its head back to Louise.

It stared at her for a moment as she gasped for air. Then spoke.

"Yes, yes!" it muttered, its voice deep, excited and male. Suddenly, the presence around her neck vanished entirely, dropping her to the floor like a sack of potatoes, "I have been waiting for you, blood of my blood."

Louise took several deep breaths, rubbing her sore throat, then she cautiously pulled herself from the ground, backing away from the apparition. With no other plan in mind, considering Khem's failed attempt, Louise went to humble herself before the ghost. But then what had been said clicked in her oxygen deprived mind, "You were waiting for me?" she asked hesitantly, trying to seem the least bit humble.

"Ever since I heard your call, your plea across the universe, I have waited." The ghost said, "Since I pulled you here, did I wait in this tomb of a temple."

Blinking owlishly at the being before her, Louise could not help but blurt, "What… what are you talking about?"

"You still do not understand." he muttered, "You do not see! I heard your call long ago, calling for a 'divine, beautiful and powerful' protector; it woke me from my nightmares and strengthened me."

Louise's blood ran cold at the ghost's statement. _Devine, beautiful and powerful…_ the words she had spoken so long ago cut through her like a vibroknife through flesh, "Who are you?"

"You do not know of me." it was less a question and more a bitter statement, "That our family has fallen so far, that you, the daughter of my daughters, does not know the name of Kallig – A name so revered in the annals of the Sith?"

Her breathing quickened as what had been said started to sink in, yet her mind rejected it, fought back. It could not be possible, it could not be true! "What is this nonsense!?"

"Yet still, you reject what I say. Listen to me, Louise!" It boomed, "I am Lord Aloysius Kallig and you are the flesh of my flesh. You hold my blood inside your veins. You are my descendant!"

Eyes wide, Louise stared up at the being. She wanted to deny the being, saying that it was impossible. She wanted to demand how the apparition knew about her, about those words, but her voice died in her throat.

Aloysius continued, "Long ago, our family was torn from greatness, crushed by the treachery of another: Tulak Hord. I was killed and so too was my family, all but one, my daughter Teralyn. Before my spirit fell into hibernation, I felt a powerful force rip my only family from the betrayer's clutches. I do not know where she was taken, but I do know she lives on through you."

 _Teralyn_. The name rang in her ear. It was just what the possessed Sith had called her… the prodigal child. Suddenly, she found her voice, "How could I be your descendant? How could you even know?"

"Over a year ago, I felt the same presence that took my daughter, reach out again, looking to take something else. When its eyes fell upon me, I felt strengthened by it and investigated, probing it with the Force. That was when I realised what it was; a call. A plea for help and protection. I followed it back to its source and found you, a spitting image of my daughter in her youth, if not for the hair and eyes. It was then that I knew what I had to do."

Louise did not need him to finish his sentence. She knew what he meant. "You brought me here."

"Yes, I did."

Anger sparked in her, "Why!?" she thundered, bringing herself up to her full height and staring down the apparition in the black pits that where its eyes, "You ripped me from my home, my family!"

The ghost stared unaffected by her outburst, "Flesh of my flesh, did you not ask for this?"

"No! I-"

She was cut off by Aloysius, who's voice reverberated inside the chamber despite the calmness of his tone, "Did you not call for a 'divine, beautiful and powerful' familiar? A companion that would reflect the power you hungered for?" he asked, "My actions had your wellbeing as a priority. Pulled from a society that would never allow you to grow, that thought you worthless, nothing, a zero, and gifted power the likes your people could never conceive! And now here you are, with the Force at your beck and call, with allies- friends who care for you."

"I was enslaved because of you!" Louise screamed back, the urge to hurt, maim and kill fighting to be heard.

"Yes, I saw that. Lost and confused in a world you knew nothing about. This was not my intent. Instead, I wanted to bring you here, to this Temple so everything may be explained to you, so you could be trained to brave the galaxy at your desire. If you desired to join the Sith, then I would be there to train you in your birthright. But I was still much too weak."

Louise had no idea how to respond. In front of her was her supposed ancestor who had ripped her from her home and into this galaxy. Everything, from the summoning till now, had been his fault. Anger morphed to rage as she swelled up, wanting to strike out against these incorporeal beings, to get revenge, make it suffer… but she could not.

Lightning arched from her fingers, but she did not give in to the urge. She doubted that she could even harm it. Yet that did not mean she could not continue raging.

If he had not acted, not ripped her from her homeworld, she would be with her family. She would not have been enslaved nor tortured. She would not have killed; the slave boy's lifeless eyes flashed in her mind once again. Haunting her. So much pain and suffering all could have been avoided if _he_ had stayed his hand and not ripped her from those she cared about.

"I sense much pain in you, blood of my blood, and I cannot help." Aloysius said, his voice laced with regret, "I know how you must feel; cheated from a life you could have had, and for that, I apologise. I can, however, give you some wisdom. To survive, to make the best out of your lot in life, you must not make the same mistakes as I. Heed these words: 'Beware your master, beware your apprentice. Never be taken by surprise,' Do those things, and you will be unstoppable.'

"But you have not come to see me; you have come for the artefact I managed to wrest from Tulak Hord before I died. Take the artefact, but be careful – it has influence over the dead like no artefact I have known before." He gestured to the sarcophagus behind him which opened as if by itself.

Louise glared at her supposed ancestor, the pain of the revelation still burned strong, "I appreciate the gesture, Lord Kallig. But it does not mean I have forgiven you."

"I hope, in time, I can change your mind. May the Force serve you well, Louise…" For a moment, he looked as if he were to say something, but chose not to. The next second, he vanished as if he had never been there in the first place.

...

Louise was in quite the hurry after her meeting with her supposed ancestor. After recovering the artefact, Darth Zash had contacted the Pinkette, questioning her about the artefact and informing her apprentice of a special surprise. Of course, a small part of her mind felt on edge about said surprise; the words of treachery that Kallig spoke had struck a nerve. Aside from that, she was quite eager to get the day over with, if only she could check up on her friends and meditate on Aloysius Kallig.

Khem Val had been told to go back to the apartment, of course, considering his injuries. She did not feel inclined to inform him of what happened with the ghost. Only telling him that she had appeased it and it had given her the artefact.

Soon enough, Louise arrived at her master's new office, the artefact in hand – or rather, belt pouch. Darth Zash was inside the office, seated at her new desk with a multitude of books and a few datapads surrounding her. Currently, she was looking at something on a datapad, a smile gracing her lips.

Without needing to announce herself, Zash turned to face Louise, sensing her through the Force, "So, you've returned! Fantastic, apprentice. Since having access to Skotia's office, I've been reading and reading and reading. It's just a treasure trove of research! Who would've thought the man had such a curious intellect?" Quietly, she mumbled, "Almost makes me regret having killed him. Almost." She turned to her apprentice, "Anyway, you said you were successful?"

Louise nodded affirmative. From her belt, she produced the artefact; a perfectly cut luminescent orange crystal shard, just a bit longer than her half a finger and as wide as two. Despite its small size, it extruded a powerful aura of Force energies, so tantalisingly so. With respectful grace, if somewhat reluctantly, she handed the stone to her master.

Darth Zash's smirk turned to a full-blown grin, "Marvellous. One step closer to our goal! But tell me, how did you go with the ghost?"

The Pinkette's face darkened for a moment, "I managed to placate the ghost."

"You don't sound pleased about that," Zash noted.

Louise hesitated. She was about to tell her master just what she had been told, but after a moment's consideration, she realised that her personal life should stay personal, "He said things," Louise explained, "things I do not wish to divulge as of yet."

"Well, I suppose I should add some good news to your day. I have been studying Tulak Hord's artefacts closely for some time and one glance at this confirms everything I've suspected. These stones will change everything, apprentice – you especially. I have foreseen it. This is one of five that Tulak Hord himself used to conquer the Dromund System. Until I have all, I cannot understand it's true nature, however."

Had she been ignorant of everyone else's thoughts, she would have thought nothing of what Zash had said. But as she was now? She felt unnerved by what her master had said, from the changes it would make to herself, to the blonde's supposed ignorance about the ritual – really, who was she kidding? She knew something but was keeping it hush-hush. Though, the Pinkette would keep up an air of obliviousness, at least for now.

Zash continued, "The artefacts are scattered across the galaxy; some hidden by Tulak Hord himself, and some wrenched from his hand by betrayers. So far, I have pinpointed Dxun and Nar Shaddaa as targets for this search. The other two I will have to look into."

"When do we get started?" asked Louise.

A sigh escaped her master's lips, "I do apologise, apprentice, but I will not be able to join you on this quest."

"Why not?"

"Darth Thanaton is still suspicious of Skotia's death. I'm afraid I am under house arrest." She explained, "I cannot leave Dromund Kaas. At least I will be able to continue my work, getting you more information on your journey. which leads to my surprise. If you're going to find these stones, you'll need a ship, and so I have ordered you one. All you need to do is pick it up." She pulled a small piece of paper from her desk, holding it out to Louise.

"My…own ship?" she asked, gaping like a fish as she took the note. It was a hangers designation, the one that would hold her ship.

"Yes, my apprentice. A thank you of sorts for all the trouble I've put you through. From the _Black Talon_ to Skotia. Also, I took the liberty of moving your stuff from your apartment, though I would check in to make sure everything is gone. You can't trust droids with these things. Nor can you trust apprentices to have secret stashes hidden around the apartment. The Emperor knows I have." At this, Zash's datapad beeped.

Louise hesitated for a moment, waiting for her master to answer the notification, but when it was apparent she was not going to pick it up, she said, "I… Thank you, my master."

"You are most welcome, my apprentice." Zash said, "You'll find it at the spaceport. Then, the galaxy is yours to explore."

Excitement began to fill her veins as she thought of all the possibilities, "When would you like me to leave?"

"It is important we get this done as soon as possible," Zash answered, "we have no idea what might happen to the stones if we wait too long. So, it would be best if you left right away and head to Duxn first. Jedi have been digging around a newly uncovered Sith Temple and we wouldn't want them to get their hands on our prize."

"Oh, yes master." Said Louise dejectedly, her mind wandering to how her friends would feel about her abrupt departure.

"However," Zash continued, picking up her datapad and turning it on to read whatever it had said, "this brings me to my final point before you may leave. I requested Darth Paracelsus and Lord Krillis to come to say their goodbyes. It makes it much easier for you. Go out, say your goodbyes and get to your ship."

"Yes, master." With a bow, she left Darth Zash's new chambers, only to spot Paracelsus and Krillis conversing nearby. It was odd to see the Alchemist again, after the _event_ , she had forgotten to – or rather, did not wish to – see the Darth ever since the event, yet now, when she thought she would hate the man… she found she felt saddened that she would leave.

Upon sensing her presence, the two turned to Louise who inclined her head to them, "My lords."

Krillis smiled, his cybernetics flashing, "So, you're off into the wider galaxy, apprentice."

"I am my Lord."

"I did say you would get the glories that you so deserved." He said, "Now an apprentice to a Darth with a spaceship to your name. You were a good student who persevered no matter how much we put you through. A true Sith."

"Thank you, Lord Krillis." Louise smiled, pride swelling up inside, though it was tempered by melancholy.

"Do you still wish to continue your Alchemy training?" Darth Paracelsus asked, giving her a critical look.

Louise did not have to think of her answer, "Of course, my Lord." _I've come this far…_ was left unsaid.

Paracelsus smiled widely and from out his sleeve, he pulled a glowing red holocron, "Then I expect you to learn all you can."

Louise took the holocron respectfully, "Thank you, my lord. I hope I will do you justice."

"Think nothing of it, Louise. Goodbye, and may the Force serve you well." Paracelsus said, inclining his head.

"Thank you, both." Replied Louise with a smile and a bow. With that, Louise left the Citadel, taking a skycar off to her apartment.

When she entered her room, she found it did not look too different than how she remembered it, yet it felt more empty than anything. Khem Val was nowhere to be seen, though it was no matter, she would make sure to call him before she set off to the spaceport. She entered the kitchen to check up on E3 but found the droid shut down.

"E3?" she called, wondering if the droid is even active anymore, but the droid did nothing, not even twitch. _Must have shut it off_. Louise assumed.

Leaving the droid, she walked into Khem's room, finding it devoid of anything, just as Khem had always had it. The only real property he owned was his clothing, but his drawers were empty. Finally, she arrived at her own room and immediately found herself overcome with a touch of sadness. Her little creations she had made for Alchemy were gone, her draws were empty and even the lightsaber and credit collection was missing. Other than that, she had nothing else of note she owned.

Unlike her master, she really had nothing to hide from others. She left her room and with a final glance back at her apartment, she left to Lyira's apartment.

When she arrived inside, she saw Khem sitting down awkwardly as it appeared he was conversing with Lyira and Vette. Of course, Louise found this amusing as the giant was almost as quiet as a certain student at the Tristain Academy all those years ago. Almost. He, at least, could speak in complete sentences.

As the door hissed close behind her, all three occupants turned towards her. Khem, oddly enough, had a smirk on his lipless face; Vette looked neutral; and, worryingly enough, Lyira looked hurt.

"Lyira, are you okay?" Louise asked, crossing the distance between the two quickly.

The Pureblood frowned, "When were you planning on telling me."

"Telling you what?"

"That you're leaving." She clarified.

Louise blinked twice before asking, "How did you know?"

"Khem told me."

Louise turned to the smirking Dashade in question, "How do you know!?"

"Droids came into your apartment and packed all your stuff." Vette explained when none other did, "They told him that they were taking it to a ship under orders from Darth Zash."

"Lyira, I'm sorry, but I only found out today, after I got back from the Dark Temple," said Louise, "Why are you so upset?"

"You're just up and leaving. On a spaceship! You could be going anywhere! You could die and I wouldn't know until days or months later."

"Dxun and Nar Shaddaa," mumbled Louise.

"Dxun?" questioned Lyira, her eyes widening, "Onderon's moon? That's Republic territory!"

"I know, I know," Louise replied, "but I have no choice. Darth Zash thinks that an important artefact is there and that I need to get it."

Lyira considered her words for a moment, "When will you be leaving?"

"According to my master, as soon as possible."

"I'll miss you, Lou." Lyira moved in and embraced Louise, hugging the girl tightly. And for whatever reason Louise could only think that, if it had not been for her ancestor, she would have never known the Pureblood. Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought. As of now, she could not fathom her life without Lyira. The one who had cared for her and made her feel wanted… and loved.

Louise ended the hug, not averting her eyes from the Pureblood. "Lyira, I wanted to tell you something… privately." She said, turning to Vette and Khem.

They stared back at Louise, nodding in understanding. "Alright, I'll be in my room if you need me," Vette said, leaving the two to their business. Khem did not follow and instead left the apartment all together.

Only when the door clicked shut, did Louise turn back to Lyira who went from curious to worried, "Louise, are you alright?"

"I… um. I don't want to just say my goodbyes." Louise mumbled, once again averting her gaze.

"What do you mean?" inquired Lyira

"…could you come closer?"

The Pureblood complied, and was about to prompt the Pinkette, but was interrupted when Louise acted. Without a second thought, she latched onto Lyira's shoulders, pulling the girl ever closer before pressing their lips together. With her only experience in kissing being that day on Korriban and, embarrassingly enough, practice on her pillow in her youth, Louise assumed to was probably the worst kiss in the world, but pressed on regardless.

Louise heard Lyira squeak in surprise, freezing up before melting into the kiss. Roving hands made themselves know as they slipped down and hooked onto her waist, pulling her closer and closer until their warm bodies were pressed against each other. Louise moaned involuntarily which only seemed to tempt the Pureblood more. Some small part of her wanted to pull away in embarrassment, but it was viciously crushed as news enticing textures, scents and tastes fill her senses; the smoothness of Lyira's skin, the pleasant smell of the jungle that lingered, and the taste of her soft lips.

She soon found her own hands roving, one hand settling around the small of Lyira's back, while the other crawled up to entwine itself in black hair. In response, one of the hands around her waist slid lower and lower before grasping at its prize. Louise gasped, her body reacting in unfamiliar ways. She looked into Lyira's mischievous emerald eyes which said it all.

Louise returned the smile and attacked her lover's mouth ferociously as new-found passions burned, hungry for more.

...

When Vette was sent to her room for privacy's sake, she thought she would only need to wait for a minute, two minutes at the most. So, when it began encroaching on the fifth-minute mark, she began to get impatient, especially as her bladder decided that it was suddenly full.

Huffing in annoyance, Vette decided to interrupt their secret Sith-ly business.

The door slid open easily and Vette stepped out quickly, covering her ears as to not hear the important and secretive information, only to stop mid-step as she saw a sight she really did not need to see. Lyira bent over the dining table with Louise atop her, kissing furiously as hands grasped and kneaded. Thankfully, they were fully clothed, though it did not look like that was going to last. Vette, to say the least, was stunned. Yet it only lasted a second as she pushed away her second-hand embarrassment, as she thought. _Yes! Rayne owes me fifty credits._

Deftly, the Twi'lek pulled her datapad from her belt and quickly snapped a picture, forever memorialising this moment for future blackmail and proof. Unfortunately, she could not make a quick exit as she had forgotten to set her datapad to silent, resulting in the iconic sound of a camera shutter to resound in the room.

Immediately, Louise and Lyira snapped up, looking to the source of the sound. A line of saliva connecting the two snapped, slapping to their respective chins. Vette did not know whether to curse or laugh, so instead, chose to take another picture, because the look on their faces was priceless.

 _I am in so screwed._ She thought wistfully as laughter shook her body.

...

With a heavy heart and a beet red face, Louise left Lyira's apartment with Khem in tow. The Dashade, after hearing Vette's uproarious laughter, assumed that the secret business had been done with and re-joined the group just in time to see Pink scramble off Red. To say he was amused was an understatement.

They renewed their goodbyes, though the tone was quite different than before, and the Apprentice and Assassin left the apartment.

The drive to the spaceport was quiet and quick with Louise not really wanting to speak, lest the subject come up. Yet her mind treaded those waters with impunity. Thoughts on what could have been, what could have happened only furthered to redden the girl's face as she squirmed uncomfortably. Her father would surely have had a conniption had he seen the thoughts running through his daughter's mind. Though she would not need her parent as the look on Khem's face was more than enough to make up for both her parent's disappointment. He had already mentioned how her actions were not Sith-like.

Soon enough, though, they arrived at the spaceport. A distraction from her thoughts. After disembarking, they began to make their way inside, navigating the halls to find the hanger that housed Louise's new ship. They found it easily enough, with it being quite close to the entry of the large spaceport.

Entering through the door, Louise and Khem found themselves in the hanger operation room which contained a few large terminals situated on the underside of a massive window that showcased her starship in all its glory. The massive Fury-Class Interceptor. But before she could gush over the ship, an Imperial man dressed in a dirty grey uniform, "Hello, ma'am. I assume you are Darth Zash's apprentice?"

Tearing her eyes away from the sight, Louise looked to the Imperial, "I am."

"Excellent." He said, "We have your ship ready for launch, all you have to do is give it a designation and you can leave."

"A designation?"

"A name." he elaborated, "It makes it easier to catalogue than an endless list of serial numbers. Though, if you can't give a name, then you may give one at a later date."

Louise thought on the subject of a name for her new ship, a few names going through her mind, though most seemed unfitting for the Fury. She was about to give up and inform the Imperial that she would not be naming her ship as of yet, but paused as one entered her mind, "The Inquisitor of the Void…" she mumbled.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" the Imperial prompted.

" _L'Inquisitor du Vide_." Louise stated proudly.

The Imperial looked to Louise for a moment before saying, "Uh… could you spell that for me?"

Sighing, Louise agreed. The Imperial pulled a datapad out quickly opening a text application for the Sith Apprentice. Quickly, she spelt the ship's new name and handed it back.

"Thank you, ma'am. Here is the access code for the ship," he said, pulling a small datacard from his datapad and holding it out to Louise.

With a smile. Louise took the card and walked towards the door to the hanger. The door hissed opened for her and she headed through and down a ramp into the hanger proper.

 _Large_. That was all Louise could think as she approached the Interceptor. Of course, she had seen larger ships, been on larger ships, but it paled in comparison to actually being so close to one. The U-shaped ship had all the markings of Imperial make, with the standard grey and darker grey colouring and the angler pragmatic designs.

Louise had, of course, read up on the ship, if only to learn more about the Imperial Navy which she would be expected to work besides. One-hundred meters long and eighty-eight meters wide, with military grade armour with weapons that rival larger ships. However, it was not just a beefed-up Interceptor fighter as its name would imply, but had the build of a Corvette or mobile base.

The interior of the ship was partially visible from the domelike window that connected to the bridge in the centre of the ship, allowing for an expansive view for the pilots and captain. Connected to the main body, were the massive forward swept wings which measured twice as long as the main body, with two powerful sublight engines.

Once Louise had finished gawking at the outside of the ship, Louise took Khem to the back of it where the entry ramp was down. Ascending it, they found herself blocked by a blast door with a control panel beside it. Investigating the panel, she found that it was where she would plug in the access code. Using the datachip she had been given by the Imperial, Louise inserted it into her own datapad and read the information given.

The access code was a complicated string of both letters and numbers that Louise had to double check as she typed it into the console. Once done, she hit the submit button, noting that she would have to change the codes to something more memorable.

The door opened and they entered the ship, finding a large expansive room greeting their arrival. In the centre of the room was a circular machine that she would bet on being a holoterminal, with a long table to the left of it and a curved couch-like chair she knew to be acceleration chairs with a built in Dejarik table.

There were a few doors around the room, three on the wall behind her – one either side of the entry door – and two in the corners of the wall in front of her. On either side of the main room, two corridors branched off like wings of a mansion, leading to more rooms.

The last thing she noticed, if only because it just walked into the room from one of the many doors, was a protocol droid, though it certainly looked more articulate, "Oh, ah! Greetings, I am 2V-R8, factotum droid for this vessel. You must be my new master. Gentle, kind new master."

Already, Louise found herself off put by the droid's timid tone as it spoke to her, "Okay… and what do you do?"

"I am programmed for a wide array of tasks, including but not limited to meal preparation, ship maintenance, janitorial duty and etiquette. Welcome aboard this Fury-class Imperial Interceptor, a versatile craft combining a starfighters manoeuvrability with armaments to rival larger military vessels. Would you like the tour?"

Louise blinked at the offer, "If I am going to be on this ship for any amount of time, I guess I should."

"Of course, master." And with that, the droid set off showing and describing in great detail the differing rooms that the ship had available. Louise assumed that the droid wished to please its new master, which was given some credence with its introduction. Who knew a droid could sound so timid?

The first room Toovee showed, was the bathroom. They were located passed the door starboard of the entry and housed two showers and two toilets. Louise smiled, now there would be no issue with waiting for someone to leave before she could use either utility. The door port side of the entry was a medical bay, similar in size to the bathroom with two hospital beds, a medical VI, and a kolto tank. _Expensive_. Louise thought appraisingly. Not many Fury-Class ships had kolto, only the higher tier ones. It seemed her master was right when she said it was an apology for all those missions she sent her on.

The next room the droid showed was the crew quarters; three single beds, a small table and a personal holoterminal hidden away for leisure use. While not as spacey, it was comfy. It was then Khem Val decided to speak up for the first time during the tour, " _I am tired Pink Sith, I will rest here if needed._ "

Louise knew that his sudden tiredness was not the reason for his early turn in, but did not press the issue further, "Alright, Khem. Sleep well."

Khem grunted, walking into the room and claiming one of the beds.

The droid, unperturbed by the Dashade's interruption, continued on the tour, taking Louise down the port side corridor and showing her the port engine room which was sparse aside from the massive engine tucked in the side of the room and the corresponding terminal. On the opposite side of the engine room was the cargo hold, that looked quite empty aside from a smaller room branching off which was the kitchenette.

Louise was then taken to the other side of the ship to see the starboard engine room, which looked identical, if mirrored, to the port side engine room. Other than that, it was also less empty with a workstation and repair droid handy if she needed to take apart a blaster or lightsaber, or needed to fix up the ship. Inside the room opposite was not another cargo hold, but a secondary crew quarter, though this one was less for comfort and more for space economy with bunk beds instead of single beds.

Finally, Louise was taken down the door on the starboard bow which led to a curved corridor that branched off to the captain's quarters and the bridge. She found herself instantly curious about the captain's quarters, or rather, her quarters, but held herself. First, she wanted to get the ship in the air and off to Dxun.

So directing the droid away from the quarters and off to the bridge she listed as Toovee described the differing functions of the bridge; the differing terminals – the Holoterminal, Imperial databanks, Navcomputer, and so on – to the twin seats for the ships armaments. Eventually, he began to inform her of the cockpit, which included a pilot and co-pilot chairs at the front of the room with a captain's seat sitting in the middle. After informing her of all the features, the Droid informed her that she may take off at any time. It was then that the Pinkette realised that, no, she could not actually fly a ship, "Um, Toovee, I don't know how to fly."

"That is alright, master. I am programmed with the necessary knowledge to pilot this vessel anywhere you want." The droid explained.

 _Oh, thank the Force._ Louise thought, "Could you please take us up to orbit?" she asked, taking a seat in the central chair.

"Yes, master," Toovee replied, taking a seat in the pilot's seat. After doing… something with the controls, the ship hummed as the engines activated. Suddenly, she felt as if she were on a turbo-lift as the ship rose off the ground before leaving the hanger carefully into the airspace of Dromund Kaas. Looking through the transparisteel window, she saw the surface of Kaas fly by as the ship picked up speed, soon disappearing as the horizon overtook her view as the ship angled upwards to the dark clouds above.

She felt much calmer about being aboard a ship than she remembered, though the thought quickly left her mind as the ship soon entered the cloud layer. Turbulence rocked the ship causing the Pinkette undue anxiety as all she could see was the dark cloud formations. With tight fists and shut eyes, she rode out the turbulence until the ship soon calmed. Yet Louise did not open her eyes until all the rocking stopped.

When it did, she opened her eyes and saw that the ship was floating in the void of space, sunlight beaming through the window. Elation filled her heart as she stared at the first bit of natural sunlight she had seen in months.

Unfortunately, she could not have this moment as Toovee interrupted her moment, "What would you like now, master?"

Louise shook her head, "Set a course for the Japrael System."

"One moment," the droid said, moving from the pilot's seat and moving to the noncomputer beside it. After a moment of fiddling, it responded, "It will take us approximately four days to arrive, master."

"Take us to hyperspace then."

"As you say, master!" Toovee returned to the pilot's seat and with a single pull of a lever, the ship jolted into hyperspace. Louise could only watch fixated as the many millions of stars elongated becoming a tunnel of streaks in a large blue corridor.

Smiling at the sight, Louise lifted herself from the chair and thanked Toovee for its help. With the ship safely in hyperspace and four days to spare, Louise left the bridge and arrived quickly to her quarters, not needing to even recall the tour she had been giving considering that it was just outside the cockpit.

Entering, she found herself in a wide bare room with only a double bed off to her right, a wardrobe to her left, a personal terminal off in front of her and a few boxes piled in the centre of the room. Louise could guess what was in the boxes, that being her personal property, and a quick check proved her right. But she did not bother taking anything out aside from her casual attire. She planned to put everything away later, right now she just wished to relax.

Once changed, she flopped down on her bed, relishing in the comfortable mattress. She closed her eyes, wriggling slightly and closed her eyes, letting the quiet hum of the ship allow her to settle down as she and cast her mind back to the day.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life, freely."**

 **Yay, we've finished the first Act! To TV Tropes to update the page!**

 **Sorry, couldn't help but have a reference to the passage which in turn is a reference to Fallout 3. My fave of the Fallout games. So, yay, we've finished Act I, now the TV Tropes page needs to be updated *yay*. Anyway, I am planning on posting the next act as a new story. I'll post a teaser chapter on this one when I finish Act II Chapter I.**

 **For now, just prepare for Star Wars: Legacies of Old.**


	21. Legacies of Old

**The Sequal to 'The Sith, Zero' has been posted**

 **Star Wars: Legacies of Old**

 **...**

 **As tensions mount between the Empire and the Republic, Louise, apprentice to Darth Zash, leaves the confines of Imperial space in search of the lost artefacts of the legendary Dark Lord of the Sith, Tulak Hord.**

 **Darth Zash believes one of these artefacts to be hidden on the demon moon Dxun, where a team of Jedi archaeologists uncovered a secret temple built by the Sith Lord Freedon Nadd.**

 **But to recover the artefact, Louise must first discover a way to deal with the Jedi who guard it and delve deep into the long-forgotten chambers….**


End file.
